Honesty
by TStabler
Summary: Everyone lies. It's when the truth comes out, how it happens, and what exactly is said, that changes things. An incredibly tragic moment in the lives of the SVU detectives forces everyone to face the truth, whether they want to or not. E/O
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A requested fic, from a friend of mine, who gave me the tiniest idea and told me to go with it. So I did. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters are owned by Dick Wolf. This story, all of it, is owned by TStabler©**

Elliot Stabler sat in the emergency room at Mercy General Hospital. He held his wife's bloodied jacket, crumpled, in one hand, and the blood-spattered badge of his partner in the other. He was staring at both clutched fists, trying hard not hate himself for what had happened, trying not to hate himself for letting both people down, trying not to hate himself for not caring that one was dead, while the other was fighting for life. He was trying to replay the last few minutes at the scene in his head. He teared up as he had to hand his partner's gun to Ed Tucker, but he refused to give the man his clothes, not giving a shit that the bloodied suit was evidence. It was Olivia's blood, and he'd wear it proudly. He barely heard the chair next to him creak as someone sat in it. He was cold, numb, unblinking as the voice in his ear said, "None of this was your fault." He let a tear fall as he nodded, a somber admission that yes, it was his fault, he should have protected them. Both of them. Either that, or he should be the one on the slab, or the operating table, because he was the one the bastard who shot them was really pissed at.

"No, it wasn't," the voice beside him said again, this time resting a hand on his shoulder.

Elliot pulled away, roughly, and turned to face the man. "Don," he said softly, hoarsely, "How did Liv even know where I was? Where we were?"

Don Cragen, his captain, sighed. "She was waiting for you, since you said you'd only be an hour. When you didn't come back, and didn't answer your cell, she had TARU activate the GPS on the damn thing. She got your location just as we heard the radio-call that shots had been fired at the courthouse. Elliot, she panicked and she took off. She didn't…" he paused, choking on a sob. "She didn't want backup. She told Munch and Fin to stay behind, that if anyone would be getting killed over this, it would be her. She went into the situation planning to give her life for you."

"God," Elliot cried, bringing the bloody badge to his lips. He pressed his soft kiss to the cold, dead, metal as another tear fell. "She wasn't even…she dove in front of…Cap, she took a bullet for me. Again. Three of them," he cried.

"I know, Elliot," Cragen said, "I know she did."

"He's dead," Elliot said, his voice suddenly angry. "Liv made sure of that. She shot him right between the eyes as she shielded me, not caring that she was bleeding, not caring that she was…we fell to the ground and I held her, as she bled as gasped for air, and she asked me if I was okay! _She_ asked _me_ that! I nodded and she said, 'Good,' then her eyes closed and…"

"Elliot," Cragen stopped him, "Please, stop. You have other things to worry about. What are you going to tell your kids? What are you going to do?" He sighed and shifted in his seat. "I know you're hurt, and mad, we all are. But you need to think about your family."

Elliot snapped. His eyes turned a vicious, gleaming, bright blue, and he growled, "Olivia is my family!"

"I get that," Cragen snapped back. "She's mine, too! But I am talking about your wife, Elliot. Your children are going to be here any minute. What exactly are you going to say to them?"

"The truth," Elliot choked, his eyes softening with worry and pain. "Olivia came in too late to save her, the bastard was gonna shoot me, Liv saved my life. Kathy was dead when Liv got there, they need to know that this was not her fault!"

"They will," Cragen declared, "Okay, they will. They also need to know that it wasn't yours, either, Elliot. It was a divorce finalization and preliminary custody hearing, so you didn't think you'd need your gun. You weren't on a damn case. You were unarmed, unprepared, and you certainly didn't know that this man was…"

Elliot choked out another sob, shaking his head. "They don't need to know who it was. I'll just tell them it was one of Kathy's boyfriends," he said. "It's not exactly a lie, right?" he scoffed, sniffling. There was a moment of silence, a long pause as the two policemen heard nothing but the sound of a sliding door and the random beeping and clicking of machines and footsteps. "She ran into a hostage situation, alone, to save me and my wife. Ex-wife. Knowing she could...die."

"Yes," Cragen said, nodding as tears filled his eyes. "She did. That's how much she loves you."

"Daddy?"

Elliot's head snapped up and he met the red, puffy, eyes of Maureen, his oldest daughter, his oldest child. He didn't care what anyone said, she was his daughter. He got out of his seat, letting Kathy's jacket fall to the floor, still clutching Olivia's badge in his hands, and pulled her into his arms. "Mo," he whispered. "Oh, Mo, baby."

"How's Liv, Dad?" Kathleen asked through her harsh sobs.

Dickie and Lizzie, his twin twelve year olds, looked up at him expectantly, Lizzie in hysterical tears and Dickie proving he was a man by not crying.

"I don't know," Elliot told them. "She was…they took her into the…I just don't know."

"No one told you anything?" Dickie asked, angry. "How could they not tell you anything? You're her partner!"

Elliot sighed and looked his only son in his eyes. "Dickie, I'm not her husband, I'm not a relative. I'm just her emergency contact and medical proxy."

"You're more than that!" Dickie yelled. "You know you're more than that! We all know, Dad! We are her family! Why didn't they tell you anything, yet?" he cried.

Elliot teared up, seeing his son, who had just lost his mother, get emotional and wracked with worry over Olivia. _His_ Olivia. "Dickie, she's probably still in surgery. She was shot three times, kiddo. They'll only come talk to me if she…" he couldn't finish the thought, he broke down. He broke. In front of his kids and his captain, he broke.

"Dad," Maureen said, pulling him into his arms, but he pulled out of her grasp. "Please, don't do this. Don't turn away, Daddy. We love her, too."

"I'm so sorry," Elliot sobbed. "I shouldn't have let that asshole…your mother was…and I couldn't…and then Liv…oh, God, Liv!" He was hyperventilating as the words came between harsh sobs. Seeing his father like this hit Dickie, and made him understand that sometimes it was okay to cry. He let his own tears fall.

"Dad," Dickie said with a sniffle, "We don't blame you or Liv for what happened. Uncle Munch told us what was going on when he came to get us from school. We know that Mom was shot and Liv shot her killer, and we're all hurting. We do miss Mom, it's just…" he broke off, choking on his words as the tears overwhelmed him.

"We don't want to lose Liv, too," Lizzie finished, her head in her hands.

Elliot reached his arms out and pulled all of his children into his embrace, and they cried, together, grieving for the loss of Kathy, and praying they didn't lose Olivia.

* * *

An hour later, the waiting room was filled with people, all anxious for news on Olivia Benson. Casey was sobbing into Trevor Langan's arms, he himself was red-eyed. Munch was leaning against a wall, trying to convince himself that none of this was real. Fin and Melinda were holing each other, trying to console one another as they both sobbed harshly, but quietly. The four Stabler kids were weeping in steady streams as they sat, in the stiff chairs, next to Don Cragen, who was flipping and folding a photograph around in his hand. A baby picture. Olivia's. He wondered, and cursed the thought, if he would never get to tell her the truth. He didn't want to end up angry, like that man who killed Kathy. Dean Porter, who had sped to the city from Greenwich, Connecticut, giving up a high-profile collar to be here, was slumped in a corner, pretending he didn't know how to cry, but wiping his eyes due to his "allergies." He flicked a black box open and closed in his hand, mumbling something about being too late.

Elliot was the only one standing, still covered in Olivia's blood, still holding onto her badge, still crying. He was standing when the doctor came through the doors, his knees buckled when the doctor walked right over to him, and he nearly collapsed when the doctor spoke.

"Detective Stabler," the man in blood covered scrubs said, unaware that he had an attentive audience of people who stopped breathing. "She's going to be just fine," he finally said, and he felt his heart break when Elliot threw his arms around him and squeezed.

"Thank you," Elliot whispered. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he cried pulling away from the surgeon. He shot a look at his friends and family, and they were all still bawling, but had relieved smiles on their faces.

"You, uh, you can go in and see her, but please, be warned, she looks like hell and she's not awake yet," the doctor said, still floored by Elliot's reaction. Elliot nodded and followed the doctor through the doors, into an elevator, and up to the fourth floor, into Olivia's recovery room.

Elliot gasped, seeing Olivia hooked up to a machine and with tubes up her nose. It was hard, but he'd deal. She was alive, and she was going to be fine. "Doc," Elliot choked out, sitting in the chair beside the bed, "Can you tell me what…I mean, how bad was it?"

"Bad," the doctor said. "But it certainly could have been worse. One bullet narrowly missed her heart, slicing right through her chest at a pin-point spot, missing all vital organs by mere millimeters. One ripped through her shoulder. Another bullet, the one that gave us the trouble, was lodged in her stomach, a quarter of an inch in front of her spine," he explained.

Elliot cringed. "God, if it would have went through…"

"Yeah," the surgeon said, nodding. "But it didn't. It's touch and go right now, as it is with any major surgery. If she wakes up without complications, in a few weeks she'll be good as new." He smiled at Elliot and said, "I'll leave you two alone." He turned and left the room.

Elliot reached out and took Olivia's cold, limp hand in his. "Liv," he said, softly, "Please, wake up. I need you, Liv. Now more than ever. You…" he paused as he looked at her. His brow furrowed. "Baby, what the hell is wrong with you? Huh? Running into a hostage situation? Hurling yourself in front of me like that?" He paused to take a breath and shake his head. "When you got hit, and sent us both crashing to the floor, my first instinct was to yell at you, you know that? But then, when you weren't moving, and I saw how much blood…" he paused again, fighting back tears. "I can not, and will not, live another day without telling you, and the rest of the world, how much I love you, Olivia Benson. Wake up so we can start making up for lost time, here." He squeezed Olivia's hand and then lifted his other to brush back her hair. "Even like this, in the worst possible condition I have ever seen you, you look beautiful." He pressed a soft kiss to her head, caressed her cheek, then whispered to her, "Baby, please, come on, wake up. I can't do this by myself. I can't raise four kids alone, and I can't tell them that they lost their mother, and their future step-mother in the same night. At least, when you wake up, and I take you home, you'll be well on your way to being their stepmother," he chuckled.

"You know I can't tell them that Daddy's never gonna smile again because the only person who really knows how to make him smile left him all alone, and I can't deal with this…" he broke off, realizing that he was babbling, making no sense. "Liv, baby, I need you to get me through this thing with Maureen, and I need you to be here when Kathy's parents come yelling at me for letting this happen, and I need to take care of you, I need you to take care of me, we need to take care of each other. If you don't wake up, Liv, I'm gonna have to go find you, and then my kids are really going to have a hard time. Losing two mothers and a father all at once."

He felt his hand being squeezed, lightly, and he looked down at Olivia. Her head was moving gently, her eyes were twitching but not opening.

"Liv, baby, come on," Elliot said, anxious, excited.

Olivia's eyes finally blinked, drifting open. She flinched at the harsh light, and Elliot immediately reached for the switch, flicking it off. Opening her eyes again, now that it was dim, she focused on Elliot, and smiled. "Hi," she whispered, her voice sounding throaty and painful.

"Hi," Elliot sniffled, new tears falling from his eyes.

Olivia shook her head, as it rested heavily against the pillow, slowly. "Don't do that," she croaked.

Elliot, using the hand that wasn't gripping hers, reached for the glass of water left by her bed. "Here, baby, sip," he commanded, sticking the straw in her mouth.

Olivia swallowed and nodded slightly in thanks, then said, "I'm sorry, El. I was too late. I should have gotten there…"

"Olivia, you listen to me, and you listen good," Elliot said, crying, whispering harshly as he looked into her eyes. "She was dead before you got there, you didn't know, baby. You will not blame yourself, because I don't blame you, my kids don't blame you. I have been sitting in this hospital for the last two hours crying like a baby, over you, not her. No one is blaming you."

Olivia nodded, trying not to cry herself, because it hurt to breathe, let alone cry. She grew puzzled, looked up at Elliot, and asked, "Did you just call me 'baby? Like twelve times? Where people can hear you?"

Elliot chuckled. "Yeah, I did," Elliot said. "We'll talk about that, later, baby. How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot," Olivia said, softly, lolling her head to the side to face him, still unable to lift it up. "El, please, talk to me. How are you coping? I mean Kathy…the man who killed her, the man who shot me. Who that was, that had to be heavy news, and I wasn't there for you to…"

"Liv," Elliot cut her off, holding a finger to her lips. "Be quiet, baby. You shouldn't be talking. Besides, have you forgotten that the only reason you weren't there for me to talk to was because you threw yourself in front of me when he tried to kill me? I think I can forgive you! And…I'm dealing with it. The only two people who know, and who would tell her, are dead. It just put things into perspective for me. My whole adult life has been a lie. I married Kathy out of obligation, out of responsibility, and today, the day that marriage ends, I find out Maureen isn't even mine. It pisses me off that if I had known, I wouldn't have married her, and this whole time, Liv, I could have been happy with you. Guilt free."

"Kids," Olivia's voice scratched, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, baby, don't get me wrong, I love my kids, with all my heart," Elliot said. "I just can't believe I wasted seventeen years, believing I was doing the right thing by being with someone I only just sort of loved, was never really in love with, because she lied to me."

Cragen, from the doorway, sniffling, said, "Sometimes, Elliot, we lie because even _we_ aren't too sure of the truth. Sometimes we lie because we think it's too late to tell truth, and because we know the truth will destroy the lives of people you love, very much." He took a step into the room, and sighed. He looked at Elliot, then into Olivia's questioning eyes as he said, "At the risk of losing both of you, I'm going to tell you the truth."

**A/N: What? Was that a heavy chapter or what? There are a lot of unanswered questions, I know that. That's the point of a first chapter, right? ;) Reviews? Please? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sometimes, people aren't ready for all of the things that go along with telling the truth. Dealing with it will just have to wait. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters are owned by Dick Wolf. This story, all of it, is owned by TStabler©**

The doctor came in, briefly, to check Olivia's vitals and as he left, Cragen sat on the other side of Olivia, the chair feeling uncomfortable and tight underneath him.

"Cap, if you're about to tell us something that's gonna piss us off, I think you should wait," Elliot said, still clutching Olivia's hand.

Cragen furrowed his brow. "I should," he said, nodding. "But I can't. You need to know this. Olivia, you're mother..."

"Olivia?" another voice, from the door, called into the room.

Olivia squinted. "Dean?"

"Yeah, Olivia. It's me," Dean Porter replied, stepping inside. "The doctor said that you were awake, and I...I know we left things...well, I left things with you pretty badly, and when I thought it was too late, I...my heart broke, Olivia. The truth is, I left you because I thought you were sleeping with Elliot. I know it's ridiculous, I mean, he was married and you were..."

"Porter," Elliot spat, "Stop babbling. What the hell do you want?"

Dean took a breath and pulled the black box out of his pocket.

Elliot squeezed Olivia's hand and his eyes widened.

Olivia rolled her eyes, suppressing the urge to laugh. "You're kidding, right?" she choked. "You can't honestly think..."

"I'm not kidding," Porter said. "I know I left, I hurt you, and I know my reasons were..."

"Right," Olivia whispered, squeezing Elliot's hand as hard as he was squeezing hers. "Dean, if we're being honest here, you were right to leave. What we had...it wasn't what I wanted, and it wasn't real. I'm not gonna take that ring from you. In fact, I don't even want you to ask. The answer's no. I'm...I'm not interested."

Dean sighed, a tear falling. "Okay," he said. "At least now I know. I had to see. Keep the ring, Olivia. Please, I bought it for you, it's yours." He dropped the box on the rolling table, sent an angry glance at Elliot, and walked out of the room.

Elliot, curious, opened the box and chuckled. "Cheap. Small. Gold. Not like you, at all. Not even your size," he mumbled to Olivia.

"He never really knew me," Olivia whispered, her voice leaving her.

"No," Elliot said, smirking. "If he did, he'd know that you already have one of these, and it's a lot bigger."

Olivia let out a strangled sounding laugh, then turned her head back to Cragen, who was trying very hard not to look confused.

Elliot followed her gaze and looked Cragen in the eyes, answering the unasked question with a firm nod. "So, Cap. What were you..."

He was interrupted when the door opened again, and four tear-stained, blue-eyed faces poked through.

"Dad?" Dickie asked, stepping into the room. "Does...does she want to see us?"

"Of course she does," Elliot told his son, trying not to cry again. He'd promised Olivia he'd stopped crying.

Dickie, Lizzie, Kathleen and Maureen walked into the room, sidling up to Olivia's bad, stepping in front of Cragen, who was starting to get frustrated. "Liv," Kathleen sobbed, "We're so relieved you're okay."

"We know you weren't responsible for Mom," Maureen said, her tears falling more quietly than her sister's. "You saved Daddy. You almost died saving Daddy."

Olivia felt the tears coming, but again, she held them back. She nodded with a pressed together smile. "I had to," she cracked, her voice not cooperating.

Lizzie nodded, reaching for Olivia's other hand. "We know," she whispered. "We know everything, Liv. And we're not angry. We're all actually very..."

"Lizzie," Elliot said, shaking his head. "Not now, pumpkin," he spoke, his eyes closing as he lifted Olivia's hand to his lips.

"Are you coming home with us when you're better?" Dickie asked, looking at Olivia. Olivia looked at Elliot.

Elliot smiled at his son. "Damn right she is," he said. "She's gonna need help, and support, and God knows we need her around."

The kids laughed, then bent their heads, each kissing her on the cheek. "Get better soon, Liv. We'll be waiting for you," Kathleen said with a small smile.

"Oh, Dad," Maureen said, her eyes glazing over. "Grandma and Grandpa are here. They want to talk to you."

"Tell them I'll be out in a few minutes," Elliot said with a heavy sigh. He watched his kids leave the room and then said, "And it begins. Don, you were..."

"Can I please say this?" Cragen said suddenly, his eyes red. "Please, just listen. Olivia, your mother...wasn't your mother."

Olivia quirked an eyebrow, her head tilted.

"Serena Benson was your aunt," Cragen said, softly. "Your mother's name was Valerie Benson, and she died ten minutes after you were born. Her rapist had her with him the whole time, and he dropped you off at Mercy General, with a note. I got the call, I went down there, and I took one look at you and...I knew..." he paused, taking a deep breath. "You were so beautiful, Olivia. I took you home with me. You stayed with me for a few months until I found your aunt. I had to let you go with her, Olivia. She was your legal guardian, your mother left you to her in her Will. I didn't know she was..."

"What?" Olivia finally interjected. "You...what?"

"Liv, baby, breathe," Elliot said, sliding his hand under her back to comfort her.

Cragen stopped himself from crying, and said, "She was pissed off at the world, Olivia. She saw you, and you looked like the man who raped her sister, kept her in a dark room for months, eventually killed her, and she blamed you for it all. I didn't know what she was going to do, Olivia. She seemed so nice at first, she seemed to really want you. She sent me pictures, every year, and a letter. I didn't know anything was wrong. I swear! If I had, I would have come to get you."

"Cap," Elliot said, knowing what Olivia was thinking, "All those complaints, her court cases, how did you not know?"

"It was a different precinct, Elliot. No one over there had any reason to notify me of anything. At least, not until they reopened the case, at my request," Cragen said. "I needed to know."

"Know what?" Elliot asked.

"The truth," Cragen said, sighing. "Olivia, Valerie and I dated for three months, before she went missing in June of Nineteen-Seventy-Five."

Elliot screwd up his face in confusion. "Olivia's birthday is in January."

"I know," Cragen said. "I had the Three-Two send me a copy of the initial missing person's report. Her mother filed it. Olivia, she was already pregnant when he..."

"Oh, my God!" Olivia yelped, coughing as the pain from the yell ripped through her throat.

Elliot gave her water, brushed her hair back, and again, he reminded her to breathe. He then glared at Cragen as he tried, unsuccessfully, to stop Olivia's hyperventilating. "Are you telling us that you're her father?"

"I am," Cragen said, a tear rolling down his face.

"How long have you known?" Elliot asked, angry.

Cragen shook his head and closed his eyes. "Elliot, please, I..."

"How long, Don?" Elliot yelled. Olivia squeezed his hand, pleading with her eyes, silently asking him not to yell. "Sorry, baby," he whispered to her, kissing her nose. "How long?" he asked Cragen, still fuming, but not yelling.

Cragen sighed, again, and looked at Olivia, apologies evident in his eyes. "Five years," he admitted.

"Olivia's only been at SVU for five...you knew when she got here?" Elliot barked. "Why the hell are you only telling us this now? You needed to wait until she couldn't yell at you? Is that it? You needed her to be helpless before you dropped this on her?"

"No," Cragen sobbed. "I was going to tell her, I just, I always lost my nerve. Almost losing her tonight, it made me realize I had to say it. I had to...I had to ask you, Olivia, to please forgive me," he begged, his eyes sad, and his heart heavy.

The door creaked open, saving Olivia from having to respond. "Hey, Baby-Girl," Fin said cheerfully as he looked at Olivia, leading Melinda into the room. "We thought we'd come keep you company while Elliot handled some things. Stabler, man, your in-laws are gettin' pissy."

"Ex-in-laws," Elliot spat harshly, annoyance building on top of the hurt and anger he was feeling. He leaned over to Olivia, looked deeply into her eyes, and kissed her. He didn't care who saw him, not at the moment, and he whispered, "I'll be right back. I love you."

Olivia tried to say it back, but her froggy voice and incredibly sore throat stopped her. She nodded, and looked up at him, saying it with her eyes.

"I know you do," Elliot said softly. "You saved my life, baby. You proved you love me." He swiped his thumb over her fingers and got out of his seat, heading into the hallway and out into the waiting room to deal with the aftermath of Kathy's death, still thanking God for Olivia's life.

Cragen smirked through his tears as he watched Olivia follow him out with her eyes. He knew they'd been keeping a secret of their own for the last five years.

Fin and Melinda looked at Olivia, questions dancing in their eyes. "What was that, Baby-Girl?" Fin asked, smirking, sniffling as the last of his crying subsided.

Olivia shrugged. "He's a little emotional right now," she hissed out painfully. She reached for the water, cringed in pain, and dropped back down to the bed.

"I got it," Melinda said, handing the cup and straw to Olivia. "I know it's the nature of the job," she said, "But I never want have to peer down at your body like that again, Olivia."

Olivia chuckled, then nodded.

The awkward silence that took over her room, once Fin and Melinda realized Olivia was not making any eye-contact with Cragen, was almost painful. Fin broke it when he told them all how he'd never cried so hard in his life, and was thrilled to have his little sister back. "And I bet it's a relief to you, too, Cap. She's like your daughter."

"Wrong thing to say, Fin," Elliot chimed, coming back into the room. "Visiting hours are over, guys. Fin, man, can you stay out there with my kids? We're, uh, we're not leaving."

"Sure," Fin said. "Stayin' with Liv?"

Elliot nodded as he ran his hand down his face. "I am," he said. "They want to be here, too."

Melinda kissed Olivia's cheek, Fin kissed her forehead, and Cragen simply looked at her longfully. Olivia waved weakly to all three of them, thankful to finally be alone with Elliot.

"Well," Elliot said, sitting on the side of her bed, easing her over gently, "That was fun."

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him, contorting her face in confusion and pain as he leaned back and tried to make them both comfortable.

Once he had his arm around her, and found a pain-free spot in his arms for her, he said, "Kathy's parents yelled, a lot. They blamed me. Then they blamed you. Then my son, who will be getting a stern talking to about his potty-mouth, told his grandparents off in no uncertain terms." He brushed her hair back, kissed her forehead, and continued. "I took them aside, and I told them the truth about what happened. They didn't know Maureen wasn't mine, either. They apologized for the things they said, and they, uh, they want to meet you, baby. They want to meet the woman who saved my life, and tried to save their daughter. I told them to come back tomorrow, okay?"

Olivia nodded, nuzzling her head further into his chest.

"Liv," Elliot said, entangling his fingers in her hair, "I'm pissed at you, you know that, right?" he asked, kissing her forehead. "For jumping in front of me. You know that I..."

"I know," Olivia whispered. "I, uh, I heard you. Before."

Elliot lifted his head a bit, peering down at her. "How much did you hear, Liv?"

"I heard everything you said, El," Olivia choked out, her hand reaching for his. "And if you meant everything you said.."

"I did," Elliot interrupted. "I meant every word, baby."

"Then," Olivia said, clearing her throat and giving his hand another squeeze, "We're gonna have to tell them all the truth, soon."

Elliot sighed. He dropped another kiss to her head and said, "The kids know, but they don't know everything, and I'd like to keep it that way. Cragen...well, this would just be getting even, wouldn't it?"

"I guess," Olivia whispered.

"Can we deal with all of this shit tomorrow? I just want to stay here, breath, and enjoy the sound of your heart beating," Elliot told her, kissing her head.

Olivia nodded, closing her eyes. "I love you," she mumbled into his shirt, drifting off to sleep.

"I love you, too," Elliot mumbled back, halfway gone himself. They knew that, in the morning, they'd have to deal with a lot of truth that they just couldn't handle. What they didn't know was how big one of the lies that they'd been told really was.

**A/N: More truth, more lies, and more emotions of dealing with it all. Comin' at ya, if you want it! Review if you'd like it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: When what you thought was the truth turns out to be lies, do all of your other truths become suspect? What if you had been lying about the only thing you've ever known to be true? Honesty. Sometimes, it sucks.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

Elliot rolled over, onto his side. He stared at her. Her eyes were closed, her chest was rising and falling, and her hand was wrapped around his. He couldn't help the pain in his chest that surfaced every time he remembered that, hidden beneath the paper gown that made her look so cute, there lived angry, black, blue, yellow, red, and bleeding bullet wounds. Bullet wounds she willingly received so he would remain unharmed. He brushed her cheek with his lips, gently, and she moved a bit, smiling slightly. He smiled back as he bent his head forward and up and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. He chuckled when her face scrunched up. "So beautiful," he whispered.

"Am not," she whispered hoarsely, rolling her head to the side. "Why are you watching me pretend to sleep?"

"Why are you pretending to sleep?" Elliot retorted.

"Because I'm in too much pain to be awake," Olivia croaked, finally fluttering her eyes open.

Elliot chuckled and kissed her nose. "No one told you to jump in front of me and get shot three fucking times," he said, tilting his head. "You never told me why, baby."

"You know why," Olivia whispered, her forehead resting against his.

"I want to hear you say it," Elliot said. "I want to hear your reasons for thinking that my life is more valuable than yours, and I want to hear you tell me why you…"

"I love you," Olivia said, cutting him off, jerking her eyes up to meet his. "You know I'd die for you. When I told you I would, I was serious. You have kids, El. A family. More people depend on you. More people would miss you."

Elliot shook his head. "That is such shit," he said. "You are a part of my family, Liv. If you had died, you heard me say this, my kids would have lost their father anyway, so what would you have accomplished?"

"No, they wouldn't have," Olivia said, her eyes drifting closed again. "You're stronger than that, El." Her eyes jerked open when she felt a sharp pain, she ignored it at as she looked at him.

"Because of you, Liv," Elliot said, looking deeply into her eyes. "I'm as strong as I am, as strong as I have been for the last five years, because of you. You give me my strength, you make me who I am. Without you, that all goes away, and I'm nothing," he spoke to her, tears forming, but not falling. He promised her yesterday. No more tears. He had never broken a promise he made to her, and he was not about to start now.

Olivia sighed, scoffing with a laugh. "Sometimes, I really wish I could be wearing a wire when we're alone together. You say the most amazing things, and if I ever told that to anyone they'd think I was lying."

"That's because this is a side of me that only you get to see, baby," Elliot said, placing another shot kiss on her lips. "A side of me that didn't exist five years ago."

"Well," Olivia said, trying to sit up, but failing, "There are a few sides of me that didn't exist five years ago, too, El."

Elliot smirked and helped her straighten up. "Oh? Like?" he asked.

"The side of me that lies, steals other women's husbands, dates boring, impotent FBI Agents to keep my relationship with said other woman's husband a secret. Oh! Then there's the side of me that wears short skirts and high heels to work every Thursday because that's the day Cragen makes us file all the paperwork," sha paused, smirking. "And he never once asks why it takes up the whole day."

"You look amazing in those skirts," Elliot said, licking and biting his lips. "And those heels…the way they accentuate your legs, and your ass, when you're up against the wall of that file room…damn, Liv."

Olivia laughed. "Then, of course, there's the side of me that fell in love. So hopelessly in love. The side of me that is allowing itself to be loved. That certainly didn't exist five years ago. Hell, it didn't even exist four years ago," she laughed. "The side of me that stopped running from you, because you made me feel so safe, so wanted, so needed, so fucking loved that every part of me that ever felt worthless and rejected disappeared. Until there was only us."

Elliot nuzzled Olivia's nose. "You are safe, baby. You are wanted, you are desperately needed, and you are loved beyond human capability. God, I remember, I couldn't stand you in the beginning. We fought constantly, because we knew what it was that we were fighting. Then, when I stopped fighting it, I was chasing after you like a hungry dog, convincing you that this was okay. You're smirk, your rough attitude, your stupid little idea that it was just sex, you made me fucking crazy. But, shit, I loved all the games we'd play in the beginning. You remember when you handcuffed me to the bed?"

"I threatened to leave you there for your wife to find until you told me what you really wanted from me," Olivia recalled with a laugh. "I didn't want to be the other woman."

"What did I say, baby?" Elliot asked, giving her a nudge. "You remember?"

Olivia nodded. "You said you wanted a life together. You wanted me. All of me. And then you promised me that, since the moment you knew you were in love with me, I wasn't the other woman. I was the only woman."

Elliot grinned. "It was the truth, baby. You know it."

"I know," Olivia said. "Kathy used to call me in the middle of the night asking me why you were ignoring her. She always supected there was someone else and she always suspected it was..." she stopped and suddenly choked up. "I'm so sorry. God, I'm…"

"Liv, baby, stop. Please?" Elliot begged. He sighed and decided now would be a good time to be honest. "Liv, she'd been cheating on me for years," he said. "I found journals and tapes, fuck, Liv, she was with at least six different guys." He looked into her borwn eyes, which were wide with new realization and a bit of residual pain. "You honestly think I would have led this double-life if I had a happy marriage? We were only together for the insurance, the house, the kids, it wasn't even a relationship anymore. You and me, baby, we're different. We fell in love, Liv. And we've been exclusive, committed, and monogamous for five years."

"Four," Olivia clarified with a laugh.

"No, baby, five," Elliot restated. "Just because we didn't start having sex until that second year, doesn't mean we weren't fully committed to each other from day fucking one."

Olivia looked at him skeptically and said, "Cass…"

"Shut up, Liv," Elliot interrupted, abruptly. "He doesn't exist. He never existed. He was just a figment of your imagination. It's one of Munch's conspiracies."

Olivia laughed until it hurt, then she coughed. "El, stop making me so damn happy."

"Sorry," Elliot said, laughing a bit as he made sure she was okay. "That'll never happen." He brushed her hair back, looping a loose strand behind her ear. "I will spend the rest of my life making you happy."

Olivia leaned into him, was about to kiss him, when the door creaked open. Elliot pulled himself out of Olivia's bed, landing in the chair before whoever it was could get a clear visual, and they both let out a relaxed sigh when they noticed it was Munch.

"Hey," their bony, tired looking friend said. "I'm glad you're awake," he said, trying to fight the tears he felt surging when he saw her in the bed.

"Me, too," Olivia said. "I was having a really shitty dream," she kidded.

"Seriously," Munch said, taking a seat on the other side of the bed, pretending he didn't notice Elliot's hands gripping Olivia's, "I was scared, Olivia. You're…I don't know what you are, but you're important to me, and when I thought you were…not gonna be around anymore…I felt my world crashing down around me. You and Stabler, you guys have really done something to me, I think it's a conspiracy. You were sent to prove that I'm not a robot, and that I do know how to love."

"Aw, Munch," Olivia said, sniffling back the urge to cry.

"Munch, man," Elliot said, solemnly, "You mean a lot to us, too. You know that, don't you?"

Munch nodded. He slapped his hands down on his thighs and chuckled, breaking the tension as he sniffled. "Ya know, it looks like the Manhattan bridge underpass out there. Everyone's huddled in chairs and under blankets, waiting to take you home."

"What?" Olivia asked, her voice still dry.

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was just Fin and the kids."

Munch shook his head. "Nope. Trevor and Casey are still out there, Cragen's still pacing back and forth, I haven't left, Dean Porter's been on the phone all night trying to get through to some State Marshall, you're causing a lot of ruckus, Miss Benson."

Olivia smiled softly as her hand went to her neck, and her eyes widened. Her head snapped toward Elliot.

"I got it, Liv," Elliot told her. "They had to take it off when…" he paused, not wanted to remember when the doctor handed him the bloody bag of Olivia's things. "Everything's in a bag. Don't worry, I got it. And if I didn't, I'd go buy you a new one."

Olivia sighed in relief. That ring was everything to her, even though she couldn't wear it on her finger, and it symbolized how, someday, eventually, she wouldn't be "Miss Benson" anymore.

Another knock at the door broke through those hopeful thoughts, and Dean came into the room. "Can I come in?" he asked, looking at Elliot with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Elliot's eyes narrowed and his voice became dark, threatening. The way it did during an interrogation. "I thought I told you…"

"Relax, Stabler," Dean spat. "I'm not here to propose, or ask her to dinner, or profess my undying love. I don't need five adults and four children trying to kill me again. That wasn't fun and your son bites, man! Hard!"

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked, smirking.

"I'll tell ya later, Liv," Elliot laughed.

Munch looked at Dean and asked, "Then why are you here, Porter?"

"Well," Dean said, clearing his throat, "I knew of one other person who told me to call them if anything ever happened to Olivia or Elliot. I know she's okay, but she might not have been, and she might be in another situation like this, and I couldn't live with myself knowing that you two didn't know the truth."

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "Fuck, man, we have had enough truth to last us a few years. Can someone please just fucking lie to us?"

"I did," Dean said, hanging his head. "Two years ago, I lied to you. You almost got in a lot of trouble because of it, and you need to know." He walked over to the door, held it open, and waited as a tall, thin, brunette in dark sunglasses walked into the room.

Olivia furrowed her brow. She took a sip of the now-lukewarm water by her bedside and choked out, "You lied to me about being single? Is this your wife or something? Because if that's the case, then I have a story for you that'll…"

"No, Olivia," the woman said, taking off her sunglasses.

Elliot gasped. Munch almost fainted. Olivia felt tears coming, and this time she could do nothing to stop it. She looked up at the woman and whispered, "Alex?"

**A/N: And there was that pretty big lie! Alex is alive? How does this change things? Olivia gets discharged and deals with all of the truth, with Elliot. And what is going on with them, anyway? Are you ready for Olivia and Elliot's truth? Is it time for their honesty?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Alex is alive? How does this change things? Olivia gets discharged and deals with all of the truth, with Elliot. And what is going on with them, anyway? Are you ready for Olivia and Elliot's truth? Is it time for their honesty?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

"Are you all right, Liv?" Elliot asked, helping her into a wheelchair.

"I'm fine," Olivia said, running her ring up and down on her chain, feeling whole again now that it was back around her neck.

Elliot walked around to the front of her chair and kneeled, looking her in the eyes. "Baby," he said, softly, "I mean, are you okay emotionally. You woke up and your whole world changed. Cragen's your father, Alex is back and a bit pissed off that Trevor moved on to Casey, Porter's still in love with you," he listed, shaking his head. "And we have to deal with all of this other shit. Maureen's real father almost killed you, and I can't tell her that because that would mean admitting I'm not her…" He trailed off, the pain becoming too much for him. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook away the thought, looked back at Olivia and said, "And we have to tell my kids about us."

Olivia blinked at him, twice, then looked away. "I don't know if I'm okay, El. I know that I wanna go home, and be with you and the kids, and maybe I'll figure out if I'm okay. We can work backwards, right? Deal with telling your kids the truth about us before dealing with my whole fucking life being a lie."

"Liv," Elliot said sadly, brushing her hair back. "Yeah, baby, we'll tell them tonight." He kissed her sweetly, then rose to his feet, walked behind her, and wheeled her out of the room. Once they were through the wooden doors to the waiting room, she was met with thunderous cheers and assaulted by hugs and kisses.

"Christ, Benson," Trevor said, hugging her around the neck, "Never do this to me again, huh?"

Olivia chuckled, but said, "I can't promise you that."

Casey looked down at her, looking pale and worry-worn. "You know, no one really believed you were gonna die. You're way too Bad-Ass to be taken down by something as stupid as a gun."

Olivia laughed, taking the small, pink teddy bear that Casey held out to her. "Very true, Case."

"Detective Benson?" a man with a shaky voice said, stepping forward. "I'm George Malone. Kathy's father."

Olivia, her smile now gone, was filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt. "Oh, uh, hello."

"This is my wife, Lucy," he said, gesturing to the woman at his side. "We wanted to, uh, to thank you for trying to…I mean, we know you didn't cause her death, you tried to help her, and you saved Elliot. We're grateful that you stopped that man from taking both parents away from our grandchildren."

Olivia choked on a sob, pushing the thought and the memory back. "I was just doing my job," she said with a nod.

"No," George said, shaking his head. "You went beyond that…Elliot told us everything, and we feel awful about the way we've always thought about you. We were basing our opinions on things that Kathy said and…" he broke off. He held out his hand to her.

Olivia took it, shook it, then looked up at Elliot. He was smiling warmly at her and his eyes were a bit misty.

Cragen looked at her, opened his mouth to say something, shut it, and gestured helplessly. Olivia just nodded back. She was hurt, angry, confused, but he was her captain, and she still respected him in that light.

Munch handed her flowers and winked at her, Fin and Melinda hugged her gently and put another teddy bear in her lap.

The kids stepped up, one by one, standing behind and beside her, ready to take her home.

Elliot began wheeling her through the room, and Olivia caught the nervous, sad eyes of Dean Porter, and the horribly guilty ones of Alex Cabot. They'd be dealt with later. Now, though, it was time to be honest. With the kids, and themselves.

* * *

"Here, Liv," Dickie said, handing her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks, sweetie," Olivia said, giving him a soft smile.

Kathleen tilted her head and peered up at her father. "So why did you call a family meeting? Are we talking about the funeral?"

"No, no," Elliot said, cringing. "We, uh, we have to talk about something."

Maureen gave her father a harsh glare and shook her head. "And you think it's a good idea to talk about this now?"

Elliot sighed and sat next to Olivia on the couch. "We don't have a choice, Mo. I was gonna tell you all after your mother and I…after the divorce was finalized, after the hearing, but things, uh, are different now."

"Yeah, they are," Lizzie said, sighing.

"Anyway," Elliot said, sniffling a bit, "Olivia and I have to tell you guys something, and you have to let us talk…let me talk, before you start yelling or whatever it is you're going to do."

"Just tell us, Dad," Maureen spat. "Not like we don't already know."

"I know you know," Elliot said softly, trying not to be angry at her, trying to forget she wasn't his, which killed him. "You just don't know the truth."

Dickie looked up at both of them, his eyes narrow. Olivia chuckled a bit at the fact that he looked just like Elliot. "Okay," he said, "So tell us the truth."

"When did it start?" Maureen asked, sounding harsh.

Elliot's eyes closed. He sighed as he said, "Mo, please, will you…"

"No, Dad," Maureen interrupted. "How long have you been screwing your partner behind Mom's back?"

Elliot lost it, then. "Maureen! It's not like that and you know it! That is not what this is!"

"That's exactly what it is, Dad!" Maureen cried. "She was doing the same thing! God, you two were idiots! You should have just left, Dad!"

"Maureen," Elliot said through gritted teeth, "I didn't want to leave you guys. You needed a father, and I loved you guys way too much to have you ripped away from me."

Maureen scoffed. "Yeah, right," she mumbled under her breath.

"Okay!" Kathleen yelled. "Can we just listen to what Dad's got to say before you try to make him into a monster, Mo?"

"Whatever," Maureen muttered.

Elliot looked at her, and his heart broke as, for the first time in seventeen years, he truly understood why her eyes weren't blue. "A long time," he whispered. "Olivia and I have been seriously involved for...a really long time." He looked at their faces, then back to Olivia, and she nodded, giving him permission to tell them what he'd originally refused to. "Four years. I couldn't leave your mom, guys. She would have taken you away from me, and that would have killed me. When I found out she was just as unfaithful, even more so…I filed for divorce. She couldn't throw infidelity at me in a custody hearing just to win anymore. It was gonna be a fair fight."

"We know why you stayed, Dad," Kathleen said.

Lizzie tilted her head. "What do you mean, seriously involved?"

"At least you only had one girlfriend," Maureen scoffed. "Mom had three boyfriends in the last four years, and now we know why you didn't notice. Or care."

"Mo," Dickie yelled. "Enough! Stop making dad the bad guy!"

Maureen sniffled and slumped in her chair. "I'm not," she whispered.

"Daddy," Lizzie prodded. "How serious are you and Liv?"

Elliot looked at Olivia, who was biting her lip and bouncing her knee. She was nervous. He placed a hand on her thigh to stop it moving. "Serious," he said, debating whether or not to be completely honest with them. "We've, uh, been talking about marriage. Kids. A new house. A new life."

"Mom just died!" Maureen cried. "You can't even let her side of the bed get cold?"

"Mo," Elliot gasped, sounding like a cry. "Things have been over between your mother and me for years, even before Olivia and I met. I knew she was cheating on me, Mo. She's been seeing other men for seventeen damn years!" Elliot swallowed hard, realizing his error, choking back a sob and fighting the tears, and he said, "I never, not once, cheated on her. Not until Liv. Not until I found Liv."

Kathleen smiled up at her father. "You really love her, don't you, Daddy?"

Elliot smiled back at her and nodded. "Katie, I fell in love with Liv the moment I laid eyes on her. She makes me happier than I've ever been, in my entire life, and I know you guys love her, too."

"Yeah," Dickie agreed with a small smile. "We do. You know we do."

"I just, uh, I wanted to tell you the truth, so when things, like the house and the kids happened, you wouldn't think I was rushing into it, or betraying your mother's memory somehow. You had to know that Liv and I have been together for a long time, and…"

"We get it," Maureen interrupted, this time sounding more tired than angry. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispered, walking over to the couch. "I didn't…I mean, Mom's not here for me to blame for everything, so I was taking it out on you. I knew you were really in love with Olivia, for a long time, and I was expecting this." She looked up at Elliot with tears in her eyes, her bottom lip trembling, and said, "I hate her."

"Olivia?" Elliot asked, panicked.

Maureen shook her head. "Mom," she whispered. "She ruined everything didn't she? She betrayed you, over and over again, and you were too responsible and moral to leave. She threw all of us away for people she didn't even really know, and she was just gonna leave when the judge signed those papers. We all know she was."

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, honey. She was packed and ready to go," he said, brushing his daughter's hair back. "She was going to…"

"I don't care," Maureen sniffled. "I care that you're still here, thanks to Liv. I care that she saved you and she's okay and she's here now, and you deserve to be happy, Daddy. With someone who really loves you, won't betray you like Mom did. Someone who, we all know, would die for you."

Elliot sighed in relief and threw his arms around Maureen. As he held her and let her cry, he vowed never to tell her she wasn't his, because though he wasn't her father, he was her daddy.

Kathleen, sniffling at the sight of her sister, father, and potential future-step-mother crying, thought the conversation needed lightening. "How?" she asked.

"How what?" Elliot asked, pulling back from Maureen to look at Kathleen.

"How did it start?" Kathleen asked, leaning forward on the floor, resting on her elbows, her head in her hands.

"You guys really don't wanna hear it," Elliot said, shaking his head. he made a scrunched up face and said, "It's lovey and gooey and mushy…"

"And we really wanna know!" Lizzie squealed in excitement.

Elliot snickered as he remembered. "Well, uh, okay. But you have to know that I never intended…I mean, I did intend to, I just didn't think she'd be so willing to…"

"Dad!" Lizzie barked.

"All right," Elliot laughed, rubbing his eyes as he wrapped an arm around Olivia. "It was December, five years ago. Now, we were already in love by this point, just afraid and unable to admit it, so..."

Maureen rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we know, love at first sight, romantic crap, blah, blah, blah. Just go on."

"Liv and I were staying late at the precinct, picking up the slack on the paperwork since Cassidy had left, and we had gotten into this huge fight that morning," Elliot began.

"About what?" Lizzie asked.

Olivia chuckled. "I had a date, your father didn't want me to go, he volunteered us to stay and finish the paperwork so I would have to cancel. I yelled at him for it."

"Nice, Dad," Dickie quipped.

"Can you blame me, really?" Elliot asked with a chuckle. "Anyway, we hadn't said a single word to each other in hours, and it was getting on my nerves. I was tense and nervous so I got up to get a cup of coffee…"

"As did I," Olivia said, remembering.

Elliot smirked and looked at Olivia. "We both reached for the same mug," he said, seeing the scene play in his mind as he ranhis fingers through her hair.

"He grabbed my hand instead of the cup," Olivia recalled, looking back at him, seeing the love shining in his eyes.

"We looked at each other," Elliot said. "One long look, and with all the tension in the room, and the fact that we'd been fighting the feelings for almost a year, we snapped."

"He kissed me," Olivia said, "And I didn't…I couldn't stop him. Even if I wanted to, which a part of me did, I couldn't."

"So that's it?" Maureen asked, a bit disappointed. "You started a four year long affair with…a kiss?"

"What were you expecting, exactly?" Elliot asked his daughter suspiciously.

"I watch HBO, Daddy," Maureen scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Kathleen laughed. "I think it's romantic."

"No," Olivia said. "The really romantic part is that we stopped kissing when the cleaning lady came in."

"How is that romantic?" Lizzie asked, raising her eyebrow behind her glasses.

Elliot laughed. "The cleaning crew comes into the squadroom to clean at around two. We started kissing at midnight."

"So," Kathleen said, her eyes wide in wonderment, "You were just standing in the middle of the squadroom, doing nothing but kissing, for two hours?"

Olivia nodded, biting her lip and smiling slightly. "It was…intense, sweet, emotional, powerful, hands down the best first kiss of my entire life. It was something we'd both been waiting for, for ten months, and we didn't want to stop. We couldn't stop. We lost track of time. Lost track of the world, actually. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed."

"There was just us," Elliot said as he dropped his forehead to hers, rubbing a bit. "It was then, at the moment I stopped kissing her and looked her in the eyes, that I knew she was the one. The _real_ one. I knew once I had her, that I could never let her go."

"Does anyone else know?" Dickie asked. "We know, I mean, we all kinda figured we'd have to keep this a big secret, we just wanna know who we have to keep this from."

"No one knows," Elliot said. "Well, one person, but she…well, up until last night, she was dead."

Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, still unwilling to deal with Alex. "So, if you could just not mention this to anyone…"

"What about when you get engaged?" Kathleen asked.

"Yeah!" Lizzie cried. "We'll have to tell everyone then, right?"

"Can't really hide something like that, can you?" Maureen asked.

Elliot said, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, huh?" He looked at Olivia, smirking, as they shared a knowing glance. They both knew that it was easy to hide an engagement. In fact, they'd been hiding it for a whole year.

**A/N: The kids know, and they're actually dealing with it. Olivia finally deals with the truth about her mother and father, Alex, and the cold, hard, reality of being in a real, partially open, relationship with Elliot. Next, if you're ready for more brutal honesty.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Dealing with the truth about Alex, and Cragen, can be hard. Especially when she's on bed rest. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

"You need to stop that, El, because you're driving me fucking crazy, and we can't do anything about it," Olivia complained as Elliot fingers ran up and down her legs and the insides of her thighs. They were lying in bed, he was wrapped around her, holding her, caressing her, loving her.

"I can do plenty about it, baby," Elliot whispered to her. "Just because we can't have actual sex for a few more days, it doesn't mean I can't make love to you, Liv." He ran his hand closer to the inside of her thigh, closer to where she needed his touch the most. His lips found her ear, and he nibbled on the lobe as his fingers skirted under her pajama shorts, under her silk panties, finding the warm, wet, flesh he hadn't touched in three days. He heard her gasp and moan and he kissed his way down her neck and across to her lips. "No one's home, baby," he whispered against her mouth.

Olivia moaned again, feeling his fingers teasing her slit, running up and down, slowly. "El," she whispered. "El, baby, you should stop," her voice breathed out, her hands wrapping around his neck, contradicting her words.

"Hmmm, no, Liv," Elliot moaned, rubbing her slowly, careful not to get her too worked up. He kept kissing her, making it long and deep, keeping his fingers busy with slow, easy strokes, swiping her clit gently with his thumb. "I love you, baby," he whispered to her.

Olivia gripped his head tighter, kissing him with more fierceness, moaning into his mouth. "I love you, too," she mumbled into the kiss, struggling, trying not to move so much. He was bringing her orgasm on strongly, and the way it was approaching was slow and intense. Her moans were growing loud against his lips, turning him on immensely, making him moan in return.

"Come on, beautiful," Elliot encouraged, pulling away a bit to look at her. "Cum for me, Liv. You need this. You need to relax, baby."

Olivia nodded, letting out a tight lipped moan as she kissed him again, feeling herself letting go so easily, rolling over the cliff and falling gently at Elliot's feet. She moaned and groaned, but softly, as her body tensed and she came around his fingers. She relaxed and sunk deep into the bed, still kissing him, and his hand , its job now finished, moved from its spot at her core to the rest of her body. He caressed and touched and loved every inch of her as he kissed her sweetly, lulling her to sleep with his love. Until the doorbell rang.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Go," she whispered, pulling away from him. "Send whoever it is away and get your ass back in here."

Elliot chuckled. "Yes, Miss Benson," he said, in his best Jeeves voice.

Olivia chuckled as she watched him leave the room, and she thought about how lucky she was for everything she had been given, everything she had with him, and how lucky she was that it wasn't all taken away. She was thankful that his kids didn't hate her, she was thankful that they understood, and she was thankful that Kathy's parents weren't blaming her for what had happened. She would have to face them at the funeral the next day, and she was thankful that it wouldn't be awkward.

"Liv, baby," Elliot said, a funny tone in his voice, as he walked back into the bedroom, "Alex is here. Do you, uh, do you wanna talk to her?"

"No," Olivia said. "But I have to, eventually, don't I?"

Elliot motioned outside of the door, waving someone in, and Alex walked in, with Dean Porter behind her. "He's her protective detail," Elliot explained.

"I got that, thanks," Olivia said, rolling her eyes as she struggled to sit up straight.

Elliot rushed over to help her, and then sat next to her, not hiding anything as he laced his fingers with hers. He smirked as he saw Porter's eyes widen, then narrow, but he sobered when he saw Alex's sad eyes. He knew how important Alex was to Olivia, how devastated she was when she thought Alex was dead. He remembered holding her while she cried every night for a week, and how long it took to get her to eat. He should be pissed off at Alex, but when he saw the look in her eyes, he couldn't be.

"Hi," Alex said, softly.

Olivia looked at her expectantly, waiting for something wore than just a greeting. "Witness protection," Olivia said, a statement more than a question. "Thanks for telling us."

"I couldn't," Alex said, sniffling. "That would have put the both of you in danger. Trevor didn't even know," she told them. "God, Casey? He's with Casey now?"

Elliot stroked the side of Olivia's hand with his thumb. "You were dead," he said, shrugging. "Or we thought you were. You missed his suicide attempt, Alex. You missed his month of nonstop drinking, and the three months of therapy with Huang. You missed Olivia being the only person he would talk to. Casey was the only other person he let into his life after you, at the behest of Olivia and me. He needed to move on! What the hell did you expect?"

"I...I know," Alex said, slightly chuckling, to hide a sob. "It just...it hurts. I'm sorry about Kathy," she said, an afterthought. "And Maureen."

"Thanks," Elliot said, sounding bitter.

"Look," Alex said. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. He shot me, and I knew, I knew that it would be better this way. I have to testify next month. You got him, I thank you for that."

Olivia tilted her head. "We had him long ago," she spat. "But Porter ran in and stopped the trial."

"You were about to commit perjury, Olivia," Porter said, defensively. "I was saving your ass. I couldn't let you testify that he killed her."

"It wouldn't have been perjury, since we didn't know she was alive!" Olivia yelled.

Porter gave up, ran a hand down his face, and leaned against the wall.

Alex looked at Olivia and her eyes filled with tears. "What did you do, Benson?" she asked. "You jumped in front of...you were really going to..."

"Yes," Olivia said, almost yelling. "Why do people keep asking me that? Is it really that damn surprising?"

"No," Alex said, "It's just...I know the real reason. Yeah, you love him. Yes, you did it because you love and and so he could stay with his kids. But you aren't afraid to die, Olivia. You don't think there's anything out there. You don't think we go to some special place, there's no Heaven or Hell, you think we just end, just stop, so you're not afraid to be proven wrong. You jumped in front of him, because he's got this idea of Heaven, and God, and life after death, and you don't want him to be disappointed."

"What?" Elliot asked, looking at Olivia.

Olivia closed her eyes. "Not back from the dead for five minutes and she's already ruining my life."

Alex chuckled. "I'm just being honest," she said. "You told me once that you hoped Elliot dies of extremely old age, when he was too senile to remember ever believing in God, so that if it turned out that there was nothing there, he wouldn't be faced with the truth that his whole life had been a lie."

"Yeah," Olivia said, purposely ignoring Elliot, who was now smirking at her. "I said that, so what?"

"So," Alex began, "You saved his life because you love him, because you'd rather die than live without him, and you saved his faith, for the same reasons. I think that's the most romantic thing anyone has ever done, and if that kind of love doesn't make you believe in God, than there's something wrong with you, Olivia."

Olivia scoffed and said, "Then I guess there's something wrong with me, Alex." She gave her friend a smile and finally asked, "Where have you been, Al?"

"Minnesota," Alex said with a sigh.

"What's that been like?" Olivia said, trying not to cringe.

Alex rolled her eyes. "I live on a farm, with cows. I'm a librarian. My name's Emily. Emily Duncan. Like the goddamned yo-yo."

"You hate books, Alex," Elliot said with a laugh, leaning back against the headboard and dropping his head to Olivia's.

Porter shot them a look, shook his head, and laughed to himself. He felt like an idiot.

"I know, I'm miserable," Alex said. "I subscribed to the Ledger online, to keep up with you two, and stay connected to New York. I missed everything, haven't I?"

Elliot kissed Olivia's forehead. "Not everything," he said. "You made it back in time for thye wedding, but no one really knows about it, Alex."

"They won't hear it from me," Alex said, smiling at both of them. "So what _have_ I missed?"

Olivia laughed. "Oh, boy," she said. "Melinda and Fin are still together. Munch got divorced. And my whole life...my whole reason for becoming a cop, my childhood, none of it was...my life's been one big ass lie, Al."

"What are you talking about, Benson?" Alex asked, leaning forward as she saw Olivia's eyes fill with tears.

"My mother," Olivia said, trying not to cry, "Wasn't my mother. And the man who raped her wasn't my father, it's all...oh, my God." She stopped, as she finally took in everything Cragen had told her and she buried her head in Elliot's chest. "El, he's my father," she sobbed.

Alex caught Elliot's eye as he held Olivia. "Who?" she asked.

Elliot brushed Olivia's hair back, rubbing slow circles on her back with his other hand, trying to calm her down. "Baby, calm down. Liv, you're gonna rip your stitches out."

"Who's her father, Stabler?" Alex asked again, worried.

"I can't believe he kept it from me, El," Olivia cried, softer but still heartbreaking. "For four years! He knew! He watched me go through file after file, and listen to her statement over and over again. Well, I guess it was my_ aunt's_ statement considering my mother was fucking dead already," she explained.

Alex, dumbstruck, asked one last time. "Elliot, what is she talking about? She finally found out who her father is? Who is it?"

Elliot sighed, kissed the crown of Olivia's head, and looked up at Alex. He saw that he had Porter's undivided attention, too, as he said, "Cragen."

Alex and Porter gasped, hard and loud.

"El, what am I gonna do?" Olivia whispered into his chest. "Everything I thought I knew...how can I go back into that squadroom? How can he expect me to work with him now?"

"You're not quitting on me, baby, are you?" Elliot asked, suddenly panicking as he looked down at her.

Olivia looked up at him, her red, puffy eyes still leaking three days worth of unshed tears. "No," she said. "I can't quit, El. You and my job are the only real things I've got, El. You've never lied to me."

"I'm never goint to lie to you, either, Liv," Elliot promised. "You and I both have a lot to deal with, baby, and I promise we'll get through it all together."

"Hey," Alex interrupted. "Don't forget, you've got me now, too. I'm back. Well, kind of."

Porter, his arms folded across his chest as he put the pieces together, sadly said, "You've got me, too. Both of you."

"Thank you," Elliot said, his eyes closing as he held Olivia, so was still lightly crying. "That really means a lot to us." He kissed Olivia's head again, then looked up at Porter. "Hey, man, my kids are gonna be home soon, and the last thing they need to see is the ghost of Alex sitting in our bedroom. Can we, uh, talk to you guys later?" He looked at Alex.

"Yeah," Alex said, nodding.

Porter nodded as Alex got out of the seat. "We won't come to the funeral. We don't want to cause any disturbances, but you do have my deepest sympathies, Stabler."

"Thanks, Porter," Elliot said, extending his hand as Olivia pulled out of his arms to hug Alex.

Porter shook his hand, and said, "You take care of her, Elliot."

"Always have," Elliot replied. "And I always will."

Porter nodded, then led Alex out of the house. He took a deep breath, trying to take in everything that he'd learned in that room. He had never been so angry at one person in his entire life, and it wasn't Elliot.

**A/N: Who's Dean mad at? How will Olivia and Cragen face each other? Will Maureen find out she's not Elliot's daughter? And what lies are unearthed at Kathy's funeral? Tell me you want it by leaving a review. Be honest. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Lies are unearthed at Kathy's funeral; threatening, life-altering truths come out. Can they handle it? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

Olivia stood in front of the mirror, looking at the face of a woman she barely recognized. She'd never felt more lost and confused than she did right now. She smoothed down the black fabric of her dress, sighed, and tried to find herself in the reflection. She didn't know who she was anymore; the truth about her past had taken away her identity.

"Liv," Elliot called from behind her, stepping closer, wrapping his arms around her, "You know you're still you, right?" he asked.

Olivia looked at him in the mirror, raised an eyebrow, and tilted her head. How did he know what she was thinking?

"Liv, you became a cop because your mother was raped," Elliot told her. "That still happened, baby. That didn't change. You actually have more of incentive to do what it is that we do, because you found out that she was raped, tortured, and murdered by this man. You also should be relieved that he isn't your father. I've always told you there wasn't a violent, cruel bone in your body, unless you were dealing with a perp." He ran his hands up over her body gently, resting them on her shoulders. "You're not the monster you always thought you were, Liv. You're the daughter of a great cop, a smart man, and you were conceived out of love, baby." He cupped her chin and held her face still, looking into the mirror. "You are still the strong, vibrant, woman you were a week ago. You still survived dealing with your mother's rape, and years of mental and physical abuse at the hands of someone who was supposed to love you. Liv, this doesn't change anything, not for the worse. For the better. If you'll let it."

Olivia pulled his hand off of her face and turned around to face him. She cupped the sides of his face and pulled him toward her, kissing him slowly, deeply. She pulled away slightly and rubbed noses with him, sniffling, trying not to cry. "You always say exactly what I need to hear, you know that?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "You do the same for me. This morning when I panicked about Maureen, you gave me that five minute speech about how I'm her daddy, how only I can love her like a father. That meant a lot, baby."

Olivia smiled. She tugged gently on his tie and said, "You look very handsome."

"And you look gorgeous," he told her, kissing her gently. "Just sucks that we look this hot to go to my ex-wife's funeral."

Olivia smiled sadly. "Should I feel this guilty?"

"Guilty?" Elliot questioned. "Liv you tried to save her, not…"

"About us," Olivia interrupted. "Should I be feeling this guilty about standing beside you when you're burying Kathy, when the whole time I knew her, I hated her? I was jealous of her for the better part of a year, and then I was sleeping with her husband."

"No," he told her. "Neither one of us should feel guilty, Liv. We met, we fell in love, we did something about it. We were making ourselves happy, making each other happy. No one got hurt, baby, since she was sleeping with half of New York. We found truth, loyalty, and real love in each other. There is nothing wrong about that. How could anything be wrong about that? It was…Liv, you and I…nothing's ever felt so right."

Olivia saw the pleading seriousness in his eyes, begging her to believe him, to trust him, agree with him. "I love you," she told him, the only thing in her head.

"I love you, too, baby," Elliot said, taking her by the hand. "We should go," he whispered, pulling her out of the bedroom. They collected the kids, dressed in black, and piled into the car, heading to the most awkward church service Olivia would ever attend. She and Elliot were sitting next to Kathy's parents, who kept giving them disapproving glances, as if they knew.

After the service, which made both Olivia and Elliot feel incredibly uncomfortable, they followed the hearse to the cemetery in theri car, flashing their lights. They parked, walked slowly across the lawn to the freshly dug hole, and stopped, looking down at the hollowed out grounds.

Olivia inhaled sharply, noting that everything smelled fresh, clean, floral and earthy, natural, alive. She felt Elliot clutch her left hand as the pall bearers placed Kathy's casket on the rack, and she felt another hand slip into her right. She looked over and smiled sadly at Maureen, who then rested her head on Olivia's shoulder. The other three Stabler kids huddled together in front, as the other mourners, including Cragen, stood solemnly behind them.

The priest spoke, the children cried, and Olivia and Elliot seemed to be getting even closer by sharing this horrendous experience.

They watched the casket lower into the dark, dank, hole and Elliot sniffled. "Death," he said, "Is so final. She'll never see her kids grow up, graduate, get married, have kids." He looked at Olivia and his sad, icy-blue eyes smiled even though he didn't. "You need to watch them do it for both of you," he said. "You gotta promise me, baby, right here, right now, that I will never have to stand here with my kids and…"

"El," Olivia interrupted him, "You won't." The promise she couldn't make to Trevor slipped so easily off of her tongue to Elliot. She knew, deep down, that they would die, old and grouchy, at the same exact time.

The family, because that is what they were, turned simultaneously to leave, when Cragen and a crying couple walked toward them. "Elliot," Cragen said, avoiding Olivia's penetrating gaze, "This is…there's no easy way to do this." He cleared his throat. "Martin and Jane Stanfield," he said, indicating the couple. "Gerald Stanfield's parents."

Elliot's eyes widened. "No, absolutely not, not here!" he yelled, pushing Olivia, Maureen, and his other children forward.

"Elliot," Cragen said, sternly, "They'd like to meet Maureen."

Elliot turned around, slowly. "I just buried the mother of my children," he said coldly, eyes narrow. "You really think this is a good time?"

"Yes," Martin Stanfield said. "It's the perfect time. We'd really like to meet her before the hearings start."

"Hearings?" Olivia asked, worried.

Martin nodded. "We're going to ask a judge to let us…"

"Oh, you've gotta…you have nerve, pal," Elliot fumed, tears springing to his eyes. "You have real balls! You are not taking my daughter away from me!"

Jane stepped forward, crying. "She's not your daughter!"

Maureen gasped. "What?" she cried. "Daddy, what's going on?"

"You didn't tell her?" Martin asked, sounding angry. "How dare you not tell her who her father is!"

"I am her father!" Elliot yelled. "I loved her from the moment Kathy told me she was mine, even if it was a lie! I changed her diapers, played with her, sang to her, read her bedtime stories, worked three jobs while going to school so I could provide for her!" he spat. "I kissed cuts, held her when she cried, took her to the zoo, and the park, and Disneyland!" he yelled. "Your son tried to kill me, Olivia, and he actually succeeded in killing Kathy! He didn't know a damn thing about Maureen, he didn't even know she existed! He is not…was not…her father! I am, God damn it, and you are not taking her away from me!"

"Elliot," Cragen said, "Stop it!"

Jane, still sobbing said, "We aren't trying to take her away from you, Mister Stabler. We just want the judge to grant us tertiary guardianship. We want to pay for the things that our son should have been there to provide. And, if anything should happen to you…"

"Then she stays with Olivia," Elliot said, matter-of-factly. "With her and my other kids. My Will's already been changed. Has been for the last four years."

Olivia, consoling a sobbing Maureen, raised both eyebrows at that. She didn't know he did that; not that it mattered, since she'd be their stepmother soon, but to know that he'd changed his Will, given her his children, after only knowing her for a year, it made her want to cry.

Martin cleared his throat. "Well, then her, too. Look we don't want to cause trouble. We just want to be a part of our granddaughter's life."

Elliot scoffed. "You don't wanna cause trouble?" he asked, shaking his head. He gestured to Olivia, who was cradling a collapsed, crying Maureen in her arms. "You see that? Too late! Stay away from me, stay away from my family. You don't know who you're messing with."

"Is that a threat?" Martin asked, afraid, shocked.

Elliot smirked, his eyes red and swollen. "You're damn right it is," he spat. "Captain Cragen," he said, using his full title, showing his disdain for what he had done to Olivia, "When you get back to the station, please find Judge Petrovsky and file an R.O on Mister and Misses Stanfield."

"R.O?" Jane asked, scared.

Elliot sneered at her. "Restraining Order," he spat.

Cragen blinked. "Elliot, is that really what you think…"

"Yes," Elliot spat harshly. He looked back at Maureen an Olivia and said, "They've done enough damage already." He looked at Cragen and said, pointedly, as if telling him the same thing applied to Olivia, "If they really care about the grandchild they didn't even know they had until their son tried to kill three people, then they'll leave her alone." He almost growled at them as he wrapped his arms around Maureen, and was relieved when she squeezed him back hard, whispering, "I love you, Daddy," into his ear.

* * *

The ride back to Elliot's house was silent, tense. No one wanted to talk about it, think about it. They walked into the house, robotically getting ready to host the handful of people who would be coming for the repast. Olivia noted that Elliot and Maureen had stayed in the hallway, hugging, as soon as their coats were in the closet. She smiled to herself and walked into the kitchen, beginning to set out trays and platters of food.

"Liv," a voice from behind her said, softly.

Olivia turned around and smiled at the boy. "Hi, Dickie."

"Hi," he said, stepping into the kitchen and helping her, without being asked. "I think you need to know, because I don't think she's gonna tell him."

"What are you talking about, sweetheart?" Olivia asked, her hand on the refridgerator door.

Dickie shrugged. "Maureen's always kind of thought she wasn't…one of us," he said. "She's got brown eyes, Dad and Mom both had light eyes and hers are dark. She doesn't have Dad's temper and the rest of us do. She's left handed, and we're all right handed." He looked up at Olivia and took the pitcher of juice out of her hands. He set it out on the buffet as he said, "Finding out like that sucked, and it upset her, but it wasn't surprising."

"How did…when did you guys think about all of this?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brow.

Dickie shrugged again. "All the time. I look just like Dad. There's no denying I'm his son. Lizzie, then, is obviously his daughter. Katie has his eyes, his temper, his weird habit of just knowing when someone's lying, so she's his. Maureen and Dad are nothing alike, except they have a lot of shared interests, which are learned not inherited."

"You've been hanging out with Lizzie," Olivia said, chuckling.

"We do share a brain, Liv," Dickie laughed. "Only she uses her powers for good, and I for evil. I'd rather watch a football game in Russian, remaining confused, than actually do my homework."

Olivia smirked. "You get that from your father, too."

"Yeah," Dickie laughed. "So, I just wanted you to know, Maureen's gonna be okay. She knows that Dad's her…Dad. She knows nothing's gonna change that."

Olivia kissed Dickie on the forehead and was heading out of the kitchen when his voice stopped her again.

"Liv," he called to her, "If you wore the ring on your right hand, no one would know what it is."

Olivia turned around, slowly, and looked at Dickie, stunned.

"We know," was all Dickie told her, with a smirk, as he grabbed the plates and napkins, and walked into the dining room.

Olivia watched after him for a moment, then she moved. She brought her hand up to her neck, fingering the bauble under the fabric of her dress. She grabbed the chain, pulled it out from under her collar, and unclasped it. She straightened it out and let the ring fall off of it, into her hand. She felt it, looked at it, watched it glimmer and sparkle in the light of the kitchen.

Elliot walked in then, seeing her do this, and he smiled. He walked up to her, took the ring out of her hand, and held it in his fingers. "This is my job," he declared.

Olivia looked at him, saw that his eyes were no longer red. He'd stopped crying long enough to reveal his clear, crystalline eyes, and she smiled. God, she loved to look into them.

Elliot took her right hand in his, brought it to his lips and kissed each knuckle, then he slid the ring onto her finger. "Three months," he said. "Then I'm putting it on your other hand, and six months from then, we're doing it, Liv."

Olivia sighed and smiled at him. "Are you gonna be ready for all the backlash?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding, sure. "Are you?"

Olivia wrapped her arms around him, pulled him close, and said, "I've been ready. How's Maureen?"

"She's fine," Elliot said, running his hands up and down Olivia's back. "She told me it didn't matter. She told me she," he paused, letting his eyes fill up with tears. "God, Liv, she said she knows I'm her Daddy, and she loves me, and I'm…" he broke, then, crying into Olivia's shoulder. Relief, regret, and repentance for whatever sins he felt he'd committed came flooding out of him, and he pulled Olivia closer. "This has been the week from hell," he sobbed.

"Yeah, I know, baby," Olivia said, kissing the side of his head where it rested on her body.

Elliot needed more. He needed the comfort and the security he found in her, and he moved his head quickly, capturing Olivia's lips in a deep, powerful, emotional kiss. They didn't hear the footsteps, they didn't hear the gasps, they didn't even hear the throats clear.

"Dad," Kathleen said from behind them, breaking Olivia and Elliot apart, a look of amused shock on her face.

Beside her, Kathy's parents and Cragen stood, each wearing a different mask, a different expression. Cragen looked awkward and pained. Kathy's mother looked unsurprised. Kathy's father looked mildly angry, but no one said anything.

Except Elliot. "This is not how we wanted you to find out," he said, looking at each face. "Any of you."

Kathy's mother nodded, Kathy's father shrugged. It was only Cragen who folded his arms and opened his mouth.

**A/N: What does Cragen say? What do Kathy's parents say? Will the Stanfield's file anything with the courts? And going back to work with Cragen causes tension, when Olivia makes a vow to be brutally honest with him. Anyone want it? Just say!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: When Cragen hopes for a lie, he's faced with the truth. Will it come with consequences? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

"I'm not seeing this," Cragen said, waving a finger around. "You're in shock, Elliot. You're grieving and this is...you're just acting out. Extreme emotional disturbance. She almost died saving you, you just lost your wife and she tried to save her. That's what this is," he explained, trying to convince himself and Kathy's parents.

Elliot started to tell him. "Cap, that's not..."

"Sure," Olivia interrupted, nodding and swallowing. She glared at him, unintentionally, but a part of her hated him. "Go with that," she said, slightly bitter.

"I have to," Cragen said, running a hand down his face and turning to head back into the living room.

Elliot glanced at Olivia then looked toward Kathy's parents. "George, Lucy, I know what this looks like...what it, uh, is...and..."

"Don't explain," Lucy Malone, Kathy's mother, said. "I think it's clear, Elliot. And...while this was a bit of a shock, you and Kathy had been separated. You were getting a divorce. This really isn't that surprising. You're a good man, Elliot. You were faithful when it mattered."

Elliot turned the charm on, trying to turn the guilt off, and gave Lucy a warm smile. What she had said was a total lie. But Lucy needed to believe it. And it this case, the truth wouldn't set her free, it would destroy her.

"You certainly picked a winner, Elliot," George said, smiling slightly. "Kathy would have wanted you to be with her."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. That, too, was a lie. Olivia was the last person Kathy would have wanted Elliot to be with. That's why they were so careful, covering their tracks, so she wouldn't find out. "Thank you," Olivia whispered. She turned, too quickly, and seethed in pain, clutching her side.

The Malones rushed over as Elliot instantly wrapped his arms around her. "Liv, what is it?" Elliot asked her, trying not to panic.

"Could have something to do with getting shot three times, but my stomach kinda hurts," Olivia quipped, raising an eyebrow. "I just moved too fast, El. I'm fine."

Elliot closed his eyes as he pressed his lips to Olivia's forehead. "Okay," he whispered. "If that gets bad, I'm taking you back to the..."

"Melinda," Olivia interrupted. "Take me to her if this keeps up. No more hospitals, El. Not unless it's necessary."

Elliot nodded and kissed her head again, then he and Kathy's parents helped her bring out the rest of the food.

* * *

"Thank you for coming," Elliot said, shaking the hand of Trevor Langan as he and Casey left. He suppressed the urge to mention Alex, but knew that Trevor had moved passed the shock of it to be here.

"You and Olivia are good friends, Elliot," Trevor said. "You were there for me when I lost my life, you helped me get it back," he paused, squeezing Casey and kissing her head. "I'm grateful and I'm going to be here for the both of you. No matter what."

Elliot nodded as Olivia hugged them both, then they closed the door, breathing a collective sigh of relief. "Damn," Elliot said, shaking his head. "That was intense."

"Yeah," Olivia agreed. She walked over, with a slight preference toward her right side, to the table and began cleaning up. She looked up at him and shrugged. "A lot of people loved her."

Elliot sighed, grabbing a garbage bag and throwing away the cups. "There were parts of her that I loved, too, Liv. But these people...they didn't know her like I did. They knew Kathy the nurse, or Kathy the friend at the bar. They didn't know Kathy the sex-crazed adulteress, or Kathy the lying mother. She had issues that...will never be explained or resolved."

"Can you answer a question for me?" Olivia asked, lifting a pie off of the table.

Elliot stepped closer and nodded. "What, baby?"

Olivia cleared her throat and looked up at him. "If it wasn't me..."

"No," Elliot said, immediately. "Liv, I was living in denial for years before you came along, trying to convince myself that everything in my life was perfect. If we never met, if I didn't have you, I'd still be fooling myself. I thought you knew that we...we weren't having an affair for the sake of having an affair. You pulled me back from a dark place I didn't even know I was in, and you showed me what real love is supposed to feel like. What is does feel like. So, no, if it wasn't you, I wouldn't have cheated on her. Believe that."

Olivia nodded, giving him a smile. She kissed him, cupping one side of his face gently, then turned to put away the pie.

Elliot sighed contentedly watching her, and the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," he called, making his way to the oak door. He opened it and the happiness he'd just felt from that kiss disappeared. "Did you forget something?" he asked, one arm on his hip.

"I need to talk to her, Elliot," Cragen said, his voice and eyes pleading. "I need to...I can't go through another day thinking she hates me. I can't work, looking at her desk, knowing that when she comes back she's going to resent me."

Elliot folded his arms. "You should work on that, then," he said. "Why did you tell her, Don? Why couldn't you have just let her believe...why the hell did you tell her?"

Cragen sighed. "I couldn't keep it from her anymore. Elliot, she was looking for her father. It was eating away at her. I hated watching her go through all of those files, and If I heard Serena's tape one more time I was gonna throw up." He shook his head, clearing away his thoughts. "When she got shot, when they told me they didn't think she was gonna make it, I flipped. I promised myself that if she survived I would tell her, because she has a right to know, and I don't want her finding out the way you found out about Maureen. It had to come from me."

Elliot scoffed. "Why did you tell her about her mother, though? That bit of information could have been...I mean, you had her rethinking her entire life this morning. She wasn't sure of who she was! This is Olivia we're talking about! She's always known exactly who she is, and for a minute there, when she didn't...Don, I never wanna see that look on her face again."

"Now that she knows the truth, Elliot, you'll never have to," Cragen said. "Can I talk to her? Please?"

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "I'm not forcing her to do this. If she doesn't wanna talk to you, then you're leaving." He opened the door wider, inviting Cragen in.

Cragen nodded as he walked through the door and over to the couch, thinking it strange, only momentarily, that Elliot was acting a lot like her husband right now. Or what Cragen imagined her husband would do.

"Liv?" Elliot called into the kitchen. The reply came from somewhere to his left.

"I'm right here," Olivia said, stepping closer to him. "I heard," she admitted. She bit her lip and unconsciously moved into Elliot's waiting arms. "You wanna talk, so talk. What could you possibly have to say to me right now?" she paused, and when Cragen didn't start speaking, she added, "And who the hell do you think you are, bringing those people to the funeral! Do you have any idea what you did to Maureen? To me and Elliot? We just didn't need that. Not today."

Cragen sighed and shook his head. "You and Elliot," he whispered, still trying hard not to know what was going on. "Olivia, they showed up. I didn't bring them there. I stopped them from making a scene earlier than they did. They were not going to wait until it was over. I flashed the badge and made them hold out."

"Did you do what I asked you to do?" Elliot questioned, absentmindedly rubbing Olivia's shoulders.

Cragen nodded. "I called Petrovsky from the car. She said she'd get right on it, that no one messes with her detectives," he said with a smile. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Olivia. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry everything came out the way it did when you already had so much to deal with. But I'm not sorry that you know, and I'm not sorry that I am your father."

"I know you're not," Olivia said, biting her lip. "Part of me really isn't, either. I'm just...in shock."

"I really didn't know for sure that you were mine, not until I got that report, Olivia," Cragen said. "I'm telling you the truth."

Olivia sighed. "I know you are," she said, feeling Elliot pull her closer. Right now it didn't matter that they were in front of Cragen, she needed to be held and he needed to hold her. "Captain, I can't just throw my arms around you and..."

"I know you can't," Cragen interrupted. "I just don't want you to hate me. Olivia, since I've known you, I've thought of you as my daughter. And Elliot as my son. I don't want this to destroy that. I know you'll need time, but I'd like to be here. For real. Like I should have been. I want to be...your father, Olivia. Before it's too late."

Olivia was silent, then she looked over her shoulder at Elliot. "If that's really what you want," she said, "Then you should know, what you saw...us...in the kitchen...that wasn't...we're together. We're very much together. And It's not ending anytime soon. So you have to make a decision, as a captain and as a father, to split us up or keep us together."

"I was afraid of that," Cragen said. "This isn't a new thing, is it?"

Elliot and Olivia glanced at each other and shook their heads, slowly. "No," Elliot said.

"Well, it hasn't affected your work, but as your Captain I can't overlook this. I need to think about what to do here," Cragen said, scratching his head. "As your father, Olivia, I couldn't be happier for you. I know you love him. I knew the moment you met, that you would. And I saw the signs, over the years, that you loved each other very much. I just didn't know you had done something about it."

"Now you do," Olivia said, her arms wrapping around herself as she felt Elliot's do the same thing. A backwards hug.

"And I honestly don't know what to do with it," Cragen said, shaking his head. "I will, uh, let you know when you come back. When are you coming back?"

Elliot answered for her. "A week, at the least. She needs to heal, and I don't want her doing anything that will hurt..."

"Are you staying home with her?" Cragen asked, cutting him off. "She'll need someone here, with her."

"Are you ordering me to take the week off to stay with her?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow. "I thought policy stated that partners..."

"Elliot," Cragen interjected. "Let's be honest here. You're not her partner. You're more than that. You won't be staying home with your partner, you'll be staying home with a sick, um, spouse, i guess, which does merit you a week's paid leave."

Elliot smiled down at Olivia, then turned his grin toward Cragen. "Thank you," he said.

"How long has this been going on?" Cragen asked, the question they were hoping he wouldn't ask, the question he already knew the answer to. "I have a feeling, but I need to know. It'll affect my decision."

Olivia looked him in the eyes, as she would if she were giving him the facts of a case, and said, "Four years."

"Five," Elliot said, "Physically, four. Emotionally, five."

Cragen took a deep breath and sighed. "So, the whole time. The whole, entire time?"

Olivia nodded. "We still did our jobs, didn't we?"

"Better than anyone," Cragen said, rising to his feet, "Which is why this is gonna be so damn hard." he looked at Elliot and held out his hand.

Elliot shook it, and said, "You know, if you make the wrong decision, you'll lose us both."

"You'd leave?" Cragen asked, taking his hand back from Elliot.

"I would, yes," Elliot readily admitted. "I can't do this without her by my side. I know that. No other partner I've ever had has made this job worth it, made me really want to do it. No other partner of mine ever made me better at it, not the way Liv does. If I'm not her partner, then I'm not in SVU. It's simple."

"And you feel the same way," Cragen said, assuming, as he looked at Olivia.

Olivia nodded. "I do. Besides, look what happens when I leave," she said with a small chortle. "He gets people shot and flies off the handle. I've never enjoyed working without him. I don't think I could."

"Thank you for making my life a little harder," Cragen said, laughing.

Olivia walked him to the door, and as she opened it to let him out, she said, "Just returning the favor."

**A/N: How does their week alone go? What will Cragen's decision be? An how much more truth is out there? Who else has been lying to them? And is it true, that they have never lied to each other? NEXT, if you want it!** **Sorry my updates have been short and splotchy. I'm dealing with a very sudden and shocking death in my family, so these last few updates have been written on my phone, where I can't see page or word counts. Writing is taking my mind off of things, and I need the distraction. Follow me on Twitter, too, if you want. TMG212**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: A week alone draws out an important conversation. Cragen makes his decision earlier than expected, but will it cause the couple to betray each other's trust? And who else has been lying? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

"I don't wanna go back to work."

Elliot jerked his head back and looked at her in amazement. "Did those words really just come out of your mouth?"

Olivia laughed. "God, you know what I meant! This has been…so nice, ya know? No hiding or sneaking around, waking up with you, going to sleep with you, lying in this bed in our pajamas…or nothing at all…and just enjoying each other, no hassles, no worries, no perps, no vics…"

"No Cragen," Elliot added, knowing she felt it but was too afraid to say it.

"That, too," Olivia said, leaning back in his arms. "El, I am going to ask you something, and you have to be honest when you answer."

Elliot kissed her temple, holding her close, and said, "I'm always honest with you."

"That's the question," Olivia laughed. "Have you ever lied to me? I know you've told me you haven't but...have you? Really?"

Elliot sighed, kissing the back of her neck. "Once," he said flatly.

"When?" Olivia asked, surprised. She was so sure he would say no.

Elliot caressed her body as he held her and spoke. "Remember the Deplino case?"

"That was four years ago, Elliot," Olivia said, squinting. "You lied to me about a case we had four years ago?"

"Just listen, Liv," Elliot said, kissing her cheek. "That fucking thing lasted a week. You and I fought, God, the whole time. You asked me why I was being such a dick. I lied to you."

"So, you weren't just taking your anger at Kathy out on me?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was," Elliot said, "But that's not really why I was being so cruel to you. The day we got handed that case, it was the day I found out you slept with Cassidy."

Olivia chuckled. "You were that much of an asshat because you were jealous? We weren't even together when that happened!"

"Yeah," Elliot admitted, nodding. "You remember what happened the night we closed that case? The night Cassidy wussed out and quit?"

"You took me down to O'Malley's and got us both plastered," Olivia laughed. "I told you I slept with him, you told me you knew, and then you apologized for being a douchbag for eight straight days."

"When I apologized, baby," Elliot said, rolling his eyes. "Do you remember what happened?"

Olivia sighed and nodded. "You kissed me," she said. "Then you told me to tell you to stop, to tell you that I didn't want you to kiss me again."

"And what did you say?" Elliot prodded, sliding his hands up her stomach, carefully avoiding the freshly healed, still-tender wounds.

"You know what I said," Olivia told him, dropping her head back and lightly moaning.

"Tell me," Elliot demanded, moving his hands down her body, into her flannel pants, skimming the waistline of her underwear.

Olivia gasped and twitched, then said, "I told you I couldn't tell you that, because I couldn't lie to you." She bit her bottom lip and said, "Then you kissed me again."

Elliot slipped a finger into her and said, "With that second kiss, Liv, I made that same promise. I have never, ever, lied to you since then. Not about anything. And you know I never will."

Olivia nodded as she moaned and bucked her hips, rolling to her side. She grabbed his hand and pushed it away from her body, then shoved her own hands into his sweatpants, the only thing he was wearing, and pulled him out of them.

"God damn, baby," Elliot said, shocked, pulling Olivia's tank top over her head. "Oh, God, Liv," he whispered as he felt her stroking him. He finally shoved down her bottoms and rolled over on top of her, smiling. "What about you? You ever lie to me?"

"My first day on the job, when you scoffed and called me a little girl," Olivia breathed, her heart pounding in anticipation of his next move.

"I was pissed off, Liv, you were driving me crazy," Elliot said, dropping tiny kisses to her lips.

Olivia chuckled. "I know that. But you caught me staring at you, and you asked me if I thought you and I would end up fucking," Olivia said, panting, as Elliot assaulted her neck with kisses. "I said I didn't."

"You lied," Elliot chuckled, pushing into her.

"Hell yeah, I lied," Olivia said, smirking as he stretched her. "You were married, and we'd only just met," she said. "I didn't wanna piss you off or make you uncomfortable."

Elliot shrugged. "We got to know each other, but I was still married," he said, moving roughly. "Didn't stop you."

"Never really cared about that part," Olivia said with a moan and a roll of her hips upward to meet his.

"Obviously," Elliot said, hitting into her, looking deeply into her eyes, "Neither did I." He slowed down, moving deeper, the shift in his technique signifying a shift in mood. "But I will, once it's you that I'm married to, I'm gonna care more than anything. And that, beautiful, is the absolute truth."

* * *

It wasn't long after they'd fallen into a deep post-coital slumber, that Elliot's cell phone rang. He robotically shot out a hand and answered it, barking, "Stabler," into the speaker. He sat up quickly, waking Olivia.

"What is it?" Olivia asked, panicking.

Elliot held up a finger. "Okay, so what exactly are you telling us we have to…I don't like that idea. I don't like that one either. Cap, that's a little ex…okay, if that's all that you can offer us. Thanks." He hung up the phone and looked at Olivia. "That was Cragen."

"I gathered that when you called him 'Cap'," Olivia snarked. "What did he say?"

"He said he's not splitting us up until there's a problem," Elliot said, "Which we know there won't be, so we're good. Then he said that if anything happens, we have to deny it. If you get pregnant, I can't tell anyone it's mine. When we get married, I can't…we can't…he doesn't want anyone outside of the unit there, and I will have to refer to you in the third person. 'My wife, she, the little woman."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she asked, irritated. "He's seriously going to make us do that? He'd force you to deny your own child?"

"My child, my wife, my entire world," Elliot said, shaking his head. "He's cracked," he said. "That ain't happening."

"What?" Olivia asked, laughing in aggravated amusement.

"I'm not doing it," Elliot said flatly. "By the time we get married everyone will probably know anyway. There's no way on God's Green Earth I would ever, ever, deny fathering our child, and I would never talk about you like you weren't there. He can't expect me to betray you like that."

Olivia smiled at him, but said, "You wouldn't be betraying…"

"Yeah, I would," Elliot said. "I would. That's what I would feel like. Liv, I am so completely happy with you, how can he ask me to deny that? I can't. And I know I'm gonna be too proud to have a baby with you to ever pretend it wasn't mine. Not to mention, that thought alone scares the shit out of me, and it hurts like a bitch, and I'm not actively taking part in giving myself a heart attack."

Olivia chuckled and smoothed his hair back. "You amaze me," she whispered.

"Promise me something," Elliot asked of her, holding her gaze.

"Anything," Olivia said, meaning it.

Elliot cupped her face, smoothed his thumbs under her eyes and up her temples, and said, "Promise me that whatever happens with work, whatever he decides to do to us, or for us, promise me you won't leave me, Liv."

Olivia looked deeply into his eyes, then glanced down at her right hand. "I promised you that a year ago, baby," she said, looking back up at him.

"Promise me again," Elliot demanded.

Olivia leaned into him, nuzzled his nose, then pressed her lips to his. "I promise, I'm not going anywhere. Hell, getting shot three times couldn't rip me away from you," she said, smirking. She kissed him again, long, sensual, and flattened him out on the bed, sealing that promise from her lips with one from her body.

* * *

"You really wanna tell him?" Fin asked, looking at the man in front of him. "If you're sure you wanna tell them, I'll go with you, but you know what he's gonna do to you."

"I know," the man looking at Fin said, nodding. "I'm prepared to deal with it. I can't do this anymore, now that she's gone. I know they're gonna be hurt, mad, maybe even a little bit relieved," he chuckled, "But I can't keep this up. One lie snowballed, I buried myself, and I can't even breathe around them anymore because I think I'm gonna slip and say the wrong thing."

Fin nodded. "Okay, okay," he said. "Just, uh, promise when you find out their secret, you'll remember this moment. How you feel right now, because that's how they've felt for...a while. You don't wanna hurt them anymore than you're about to, Eddy."

Tucker sighed. "I didn't go to her funeral, Fin, out of respect for them. I didn't think he'd appreciate his wife's lover standing behind him. I'm not out to hurt them. Not this time."

**A/N: Tucker was sleeping with Kathy? Oh, my! How will Elliot react? And when they head back to work,. how far do they push Cragen? Hmm, I'll just say, they get REALLY honest. Click and review for more!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Tucker was sleeping with Kathy? Oh, my! How will Elliot react? And when they head back to work,. how far do they push Cragen? Hmm, I'll just say, they get REALLY honest. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

"You didn't say anything to him, did you?" Olivia asked, wrapped in Elliot's grey NYPD hoodie, and his arms. They had just fallen back to sleep, when another phone call woke them up.

"Why the fuck would I do that?" Elliot asked, his arms tightly wrapped around her. "Maybe Cragen said something," he said. "Trying to get out of making the decision himself. How are you even sure he's coming over here to talk to us about...us."

Olivia shot him a look that said, "Duh." She shook her head. "El," she said, "Baby, he's coming over in the middle of the night to talk to us, with Fin as a personal escort. What else could it possibly be about?"

Elliot thought about it. "You're right," he said. "We're fucked."

Olivia chuckled. "Is it wrong of me not to care that he knows?" she asked, linking her fingers with his. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"New partners, transferring, losing our jobs altogether because we broke about a million rules," Elliot said. "Nothing too bad," he added sarcastically.

"I hate you," Olivia said, kissing him. The kiss deepened and lasted longer than she'd intended.

"If you hate me and kiss me like that, I don't wanna see what you do to Tucker when he gets here," Elliot said with a smirk. "You despise him."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I love you, you idiot," she whispered to him.

"I love you, too, baby," Elliot returned, kissing her again. They broke apart when the knock on the door echoed through the living room.

"Here we go," Olivia said, shifting off of Elliot so he could get up to answer it.

Eliot turned the knob and let Tucker and Fin inside, then took his seat next to Olivia again. "Let us have it, then, Ed. What's it gonna be?"

"I'm willing to move to Computer Crimes," Olivia said. "Or transfer Elliot to Homicide. Just don't..."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Tucker asked, seeming nervous.

Elliot looked at Fin, then at Olivia, then back to Tucker. "You didn't come here to...okay, forget we said anything," he said, relaxing. "What do you want, then?"

Tucker took a deep breath. "How are you doing, Olivia?" he asked, losing his nerve. "Do you need anything? Want anything?"

"I want you to tell me why you woke me up at two in the morning," Olivia replied. "Other than that, I'm good. Almost good as new."

Tucker nodded and cleared his throat. "Good," he said. "We need you both back out there, sooner rather than later." He sat in the easy-chair across from the couch and took another deep breath. "Okay, uh, ya know how I keep getting on your case? Writing you up for things you didn't really do, blowing the shit you actually do out of proportion, harassing you both about your work ethic and tactics..."

"Being a big dick," Olivia said. Her eyes widened and her hand shot to her mouth. She didn't mean to say that.

To her surprise, Tucker chuckled. "Yeah, that, too. I was. I was a complete dick. I have a very good, er, bad, well, a good, bad reason for it all."

"You're not in love with Olivia are you?" Elliot said, his eyes fierce.

"No," Tucker said, shaking his head. "Not that she isn't very attractive, she is. She's gorgeous, but I knew when I met her that she, uh, wasn't my type. I like blondes."

Elliot sighed in relief, easing back into the couch. "What then?"

"Elliot," Tucker said, looking toward the sky. "This isn't easy. I think you have a right to know, and I want you to hear it from me, before you hear it from other people who are probably going to tell you all about it the minute you return to work."

"Ed," Elliot said, raising an eyebrow, "You woke me up, you woke Liv up, and she needs to rest, I'm sure whatever it is it's not that..."

"I was sleeping with your wife," Tucker spat out, interrupting him.

Dead silence. Five minutes of absolute dead silence.

"Well, who wants coffee? I'll put a few shots of vodka in it," Olivia offered, trying to break the tension.

Elliot grabbed her hand and squeezed, telling her to stay put, and he said, "What? For how long? How did I not know it...it was you?"

"Three and a half years," Tucker said. "She was sure you weren't going to notice, since you stopped paying attention to her around that same time, for some reason." He glanced at Olivia, who cleared her throat and pulled her hand out of Elliot's. "It wasn't a relationship, Stabler. Not until about a year ago, and even then she wasn't a very stable or faithful person. Before that, well, it...it was just sex. She was still seeing other..."

"I know," Elliot said, nodding. "But you? How could you...and then the way you treated me and Liv? Like, you weren't doing enough damage?"

Tucker shook his head. "I know, I was jealous. I couldn't understand why she was still with you if she didn't...I'm sure she loved you at one point, but she wasn't in love with you anymore, and she wouldn't let you go. I was mad."

"So was I," Elliot admitted. "Do you know how many times I filed for divorce? How many times I handed her the papers and she just wouldn't..."

"Yeah," Ed said. "I do know. She didn't want to admit she failed. She didn't want to admit that she couldn't make you happy, that she couldn't change for you. She thought you were seeing another woman, too, so she just left it alone. She didn't see a problem with it, she said it was fair. But not to me, or, uh, your girlfriend. Whoever she was." He looked at Olivia again.

Elliot looked at Olivia, too, and then said, "My girlfriend understood, Ed. She knew what telling anyone about us would cost us." He looked back at Tucker and said, "We still can't tell people. Not really. And what did or didn't happen between me and her is none of your business, and our relationship was, and still is, one-hundred percent fair. Unlike Kathy, I was only with _one_ person. One amazing person, exclusively. Kathy may have been unfair and unfaithful to you, but don't presume to know what was going on in my life, because if Kathy didn't figure it the fuck out, then you certainly didn't."

"I'm sorry," Tucker said. "I didn't mean to cause...anyway, I wanted to tell you, to let you know that I'm gonna ease up on you, professionally, and I'm heading into the office tomorrow and cleaning out your jackets. Any black mark I made out of jealousy or anger will be erased. I know it isn't going to be enough to get you to forgive me, but it's the least I can do."

"There is one other thing," Elliot said, smirking at Olivia.

"El," Olivia said, in a warning tone. "El, don't."

"As long as we're being honest, here, Ed," Elliot began. "The other woman, the woman I have been with for four...five years, it's…"

Tucker sighed, cutting him off, and nodded. "I know," he said.

"You know?" Olivia cried. "Well, that's just fucking terrific."

"I didn't," Tucker said. "Not until this morning, but I know now. And as far as I'm concerned, I know nothing. I see nothing. If Cragen tries to force your hand in any direction, his requests through any higher channels will be denied. You two are safe. That is what you were going to ask, isn't it?"

Elliot scoffed. "No," he said. "I just wanted to see the look on your face when I told you that you got all worked up about telling me you were sleeping with Kathy for nothing. I knew she was cheating on me, she'd been doing it for years," he explained. "I didn't...I didn't sleep around and then go home pretending everything was fine the way she did for seventeen years. I didn't lie to her face, Ed, about everything for the last seventeen fucking years. She never even asked me. If she had, I would have told her the truth. Yeah, I was gonna ask you for a favor, but more than that, I needed you to know that it doesn't matter what you did. It doesn't matter, I don't really care, and it doesn't change how I feel about you."

"Really?" Tucker asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Elliot said. "I still think you're a complete dick."

Olivia snickered, pressing her lips together. Fin shook his head and rolled his eyes at her. Tucker simply said, "Okay, then," and rose from the chair. "I will, uh, see you tomorrow. The Rogerson case. He needs to be re-evaluated." He paused and looked at them. "You are coming back tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding.

"Right," Tucker said, turning toward the door. "Have a good night. What's left of it. I'm sorry for the interruption, but I needed to get that off of my chest."

Olivia and Elliot nodded and watched Tucker leave, followed by a very confused and apologetic looking Fin.

Olivia turned to look at Elliot, and instead of the shock and hurt she expected to see, there was a smirk, a very evil smirk, on his face. "What?" Olivia asked, trying to get the thoughts out of his head and through his mouth.

"We're gonna be just fine," Elliot said. "Felt bad for Fin, though. He had no clue what to say."

"What could he have said, El?" Olivia asked with a shrug, getting off the couch. She pulled him up and wrapped her arms around his waist. "We have options. Either go back to sleep for two hours, or get up now, take showers, get a head start on breakfast…"

"Or," Elliot interrupted, "We get back in that bed, and I show you exactly how much I really do love you until that alarm goes off." He dropped a tender kiss to her lips. "Make the most of our last night off. Now that we can relax, at least a little bit, knowing that IAB can't say shit about us, not without me calling Tucker out on his crap. You know mow much trouble he could get into if someone knew he'd been writing us up for nothing?" he asked, moving his lips from her mouth to her neck.

"He was just being honest," Olivia moaned. "I think he really is sorry," she gasped, as Elliot scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom.

"He's not sorry, he just felt guilty," Elliot said, "Guess he does have a conscience." He dropped her gently to the bed and pulled his sweatshirt over her head and grinned at her. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Olivia smirked at him. "Yeah, actually. I do," Her smile widened as Elliot flattened himself against her, holding her, kissing her, and loving her.

* * *

"Benson!" Munch cried. "Or should I say, Wonder Woman! How are you feeling?"

"Just fine, Munch," Olivia said, looking at her friend. "Doctor Stabler over there took very good care of me."

Fin chuckled. "I'll bet he did," he mumbled. "Welcome back, Baby-Girl."

"Hey, I was gone, too," Elliot said, pretending to be offended. "No one missed me?"

"You didn't get shot three times and almost die," Munch said, raising an eyebrow. "And no, no one missed your attitude, ya jackass."

Elliot chuckled and handed Munch a cup of coffee. He handed one to Fin, too, then put the remaining two on his desk, watching with adoration in his eyes as Olivia reached for one.

"I missed you bringin' us real coffee, though," Fin said, nodding his thanks.

"Benson, Stabler! My office!" they heard Cragen's voice calling.

Elliot looked at Olivia and took a deep breath. He resisted the urge to hold her hand, comfort her in any way, until they walked into the captain's office. Once the door was shut behind him, he tugged Olivia closer to him, and sat, with her on his lap, with a smug grin on his face. "What?" he asked, humor in his voice.

Cragen looked at the two, saw the unsure, surprised look on Olivia's face, then noticed the arrogant expression on Elliot's. "You two talk to Tucker?"

"No, why?" Elliot lied, sliding a hand up Olivia's back.

Olivia raised her eyes to the ceiling and dropped her jaw a bit in a scoffing smirk. She couldn't believe he was doing this right now.

Cragen shook his head and said, "He came in this morning, handed me two new jackets for you. There are a lot of things that were here before, that are gone now. Reprimands and formal complaints that just disappeared, disciplinary actions and suspensions that have been changed to paid vacations, he even gave me two envelopes for you. Checks, for each of you, as payment for leave that I don't remember you taking. Can you explain?"

"You'd have to talk to Tucker, Cap," Elliot said, rubbing Olivia's shoulders. "God, baby, you are fucking tense. Relax," he said, teasingly.

Olivia scoffed again and shook her head, pressing her lips together.

"What do you think you're doing, Elliot?" Cragen finally asked. "I thought we discussed this."

"No, you discussed it," Elliot said. "You just barked an order at me, actually, and didn't let me say a damn thing about it. What you want me to do, us to do, that's just wrong." He tapped Olivia's back, telling her to get up, and she sat next to him, not wanting to leave him alone in the room with Cragen. "She's your daughter," Elliot seethed. "You know what she means to me, and she should mean just as much to you. You really expect me to talk about her like she's not here? You'd have me deny my own child? What would that prove, huh? Honestly, how would that make our lives easier?"

Cragen stood, annoyed, and yelled, "It would make things easier for me! Okay? You think I'm happy about this? You think I'm proud that she let herself get caught up with a married man, put her life on hold waiting for you, her partner, who she's not allowed to be with in the first place? If everyone around here just acts like you're not together, then we can all…"

"You think that's what happened?" Olivia cut in. She got out of her chair and, since the hurt and anger that had been festering for this man had come to a boil, she snapped. "I didn't put my life on hold, waiting for him. We have a life together, an incredible one. We have been acting like we weren't together for the last four years, haven't we? No one had any idea! You really think I'm going to keep doing it, now that I don't have to, just to make your life easier? After the hell you've put me through?"

Cragen sighed and ran a hand down his face. "It's the only thing I could do that wouldn't…"

"Save it," Olivia said, holding up her hand. "I was scared to death of coming in here today, because I didn't know how to face you. I didn't know how I would feel, or how I would treat you, or how you would treat me. I didn't know if I could choose between thinking of you as my captain or my father. Thank you for making it much easier for me, Captain Cragen." She shook her head, turned, and left.

Elliot rose to his feet, gave his captain a harsh glare, and said, "You'd better be prepared to lose her if you make us do this. Either as your daughter or your detective. You really don't know how serious this is, do you?"

"I guess I don't," Cragen said.

Elliot chuckled. "Man, you're gonna find out. The hard way." He shook his head and smirked at Cragen. "Dealing with Liv when she's pissed is not easy. Good luck," he spat. "You'll need it."

**A/N: What do Olivia and Elliot do to show Cragen they're not going to hide anymore? What does the chief say about their new, clean, records? And Judge Petrovsky gives Elliot some news, during a family dinner. Want it? Click the button! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: What do Olivia and Elliot do to show Cragen they're not going to hide anymore? What does the chief say about their new relationship? And Judge Petrovsky gives Elliot some news, during a family dinner. A BIG family dinner.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

"Dickie," Elliot scolded. "Get your elbows off the table, kid. This is a nice place, pretend you have manners for, like, an hour, okay?

"I can't," Dickie replied. "I'm a Stabler."

Olivia snickered, trying to hold in her laughter.

"Don't encourage him, Liv," Elliot said, smirking. Even he thought it was a good crack.

Olivia smirked back at Elliot, then turned to Dickie. "Richard Anthony Stabler, put your arms down and act like a little gentleman, or the XBox gets it."

"You wouldn't!" Dickie cried, immediately putting his hands in his lap.

"Have I ever, in the last five years, lied to you?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dickie shook his head and sipped his water. It was suddenly very hot in the restaurant.

"How do you do that?" Elliot asked in a whisper, leaning toward her.

"He likes me better," Olivia quipped, kissing Elliot's nose.

The waiter brought their soups and salads, and Kathleen, biting into her tomato, said, "He just knows that you aren't bluffing."

The family laughed, and, under the table, Elliot grabbed Olivia's hand. Olivia, raising an eyebrow, brought their linked fingers up and rested them on the edge. "No need to hide it anymore, El," she whispered to him.

He leaned into her with a big smile, nuzzled her nose, then kissed her, soft and quick.

"Are you guys sure it's safe to do that here?" Maureen asked. "The place is filled with cops. Sergeant Tucker is at the next table."

"It's fine, Maur," Elliot said. "Trust me. Everyone that needs to know, knows. And we're ready to deal with whatever comes at us, as long as it's not...too far over the line."

"Captain Cragen is staring at Liv, Dad," Lizzie noted, bringing a spoonful of soup to her lips.

"I know he is, pumpkin," Elliot said. "He did something very stupid, and your moth...Liv is mad at him," he explained, clearing his throat. He almost called Olivia thier mother. That would have been awkward. Awkward because it felt so natural, but it was too soon after Kathy's death to start calling her that, wasn't it?

Olivia noticed, then, a woman in a black dress walking toward their table. "Detectives," the woman said, smiling.

"Judge Petrovsky," Elliot said. "Hello! Uh, these are my kids, Lizzie and Dickie, the twins. And this is Kathleen, and Maureen."

"Nice to meet you all," Petrovsky said.

Dickie held out his hand. "It's a pleasure, Your Honor," he declared.

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am," Maureen stated, smiling.

"They're so polite, Detective Stabler," the judge said, smiling. "You and Detective Benson must be very proud."

"We aren't at work," Elliot said, smiling. "You can call me Elliot. Call her Olivia."

The judge smiled and nodded. "Well, Elliot, I hate to bother you during dinner, but this couldn't wait. The couple you've filed the R.O against, they're suing you for custodial denial. I'm throwing the case out, but you should know, that they will probably try to re-file in a civil court, and if that happens, I can't stop it. Is there something you neglected to tell me when you..."

"No," Elliot said, shaking his head. "You have all the information. Their son, Maureen's biological father, shot and killed my ex-wife, and tried to shoot me, but Liv...God," he sighed, pausing. "He almost killed Olivia. Since he didn't know about her, his name is not on her birth certificate, and he's deceased, and would have been incarcerated if he had survived, they have no legal claim to her."

Petrovsky smiled. "Then you won't have a problem. I felt it necessary to warn you. Like I told your captain, no one messes with my detectives."

"Thanks," Elliot said, smiling at her.

Petrovsky nodded, then looked over at Olivia. "How are you, dear?"

"I'm better," Olivia replied. "A little sore when I wake up in the morning, but nothing serious. Nothing I can't handle."

"We're all very happy to have you with us, Olivia," the judge said. "Especailly these four little ones, and their father, I imagine."

"Oh, yes, Ma'am," Lizzie said cheerfully.

"Enjoy your night," Petrovsky said. "The honors you're oth getting are very well deserved."

"Thank you," Olivia said, smiling. "For everything."

Petrovsky nodded again, then walked back to her table of judges. As the music swelled, Elliot, recognizing the song, threw his napkin down and looked at Olivia. He tugged on her hand and said, "Dance with me."

"What?" Olivia laughed. "We're not even done with the..."

"We have to dance to this song, Liv," Elliot said, pulling her up. He yanked on her, until she gave in, and led her onto the empty floor. Olivia sent a pleading look to the kids, who simply shrugged and smirked at her.

Olivia sighed as Elliot wrapped one hand around her waist, holding their other arms out. "I feel stupid," Olivia declared. "Everyone is staring at us, and you are...oh, you are so vindictive," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Rubbing Cragen's nose in it."

Elliot chuckled, moving her around the floor. "That's part of it," he said. "The other part is, we just really needed to dance to this song, baby. You know what song it is, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Olivia said, smiling at him. "This is the song that was playing on the jukebox at O'Malley's. When you kissed me," she said, the memory filling her heart with pure warmth.

"Ready?" Elliot asked, knowing the music would speed up.

"Ready," Olivia said, chuckling. She was spun out and pulled back, as the music kicked up, and she was moved faster. Elliot was an incredible dancer. He led her very well, and they almost looked professional.

When he started singing along with Billy Joel, pulling out a few goofball moves and making her do the same, it became less about putting on a show for Cragen, and more about having fun with each other, honestly enjoying being together. He pulled her back in, beginning a swing-type dance with her, and as they laughed, as Elliot sang to her, Cragen was, indeed, looking on with a heartbroken look on his face.

Olivia was his daughter. In his eyes, in his mind, Elliot didn't deserve her. His little girl deserved better. He was furious that they had been living a lie for almost five years, and he was even more upset that his daughter, his best detective, had thought so little of herself that she allowed herself to be the other woman. No matter how noble a spin they tried to put on it, that is what she was.

But he didn't know the truth. He would though. Soon.

The music slowed again, and everyone in the room watch as Elliot pulled Olivia back into his arms. "A bottle of red, oooh a bottle of white," he sang to her. "Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight." He swung around and dipped her, singing, "I'll meet you anytime you want," he picked her back up and swayed her slowly, "In our Italian restaurant." As the beat swelled and slowed, he dipped her again, to the other side, and kissed her. A deep, passionate kiss. As they heard applause, they straightened up and laughed again. Olivia smacked him in the arm playfully, punishment for causing a scene, and they went back to their table.

"Wow," Kathleen said. "That should totally be your wedding song."

"And you have to do that dance at your wedding," Maureen said. "No one could take their eyes off of you! You were like Fred and Ginger!"

Elliot chuckled. "Well, we can play that song at the wedding," he said, "And we can do that dance, sure. But that song is about a couple who meets, gets married way too young, gets into a bit of trouble, gets divorced, and makes a deal to meet every couple of years to prove they can stay friends, but they don't keep that promise. Not exactly the best wedding song."

"Yeah," Dickie said, his elbows still off the table. "Maybe that song you sing to her in the middle of the night when you think we can't hear you would be better," he said, chewing a mouthful of salad.

Olivia looked at Elliot, smirking. "I like that song," she said.

"Journey it is," Elliot said, grinning at Olivia. "Open Arms." He took a bite of his salad and said, "Did we actually just make a wedding decision?"

"I think we did," Olivia said.

The waiter came by with entrees, taking the empty bowls and salad plates. And as he walked away, the chief of detectives walked out, onto the platform, behind the podium that had been set up. "Good evening, justices, attorneys, detectives, and officers of the New York City Police Department. It is with great honor I welcome you all here to the annual awards banquet, and with even greater honor that I declare we have not suffered any departmental casualties this year. We did, however, come very close to losing one of our own." He glanced at Olivia and nodded. She nodded back. "In our line of work, we pride ourselves on honor, integrity, respect, strength, courage, and the ability to protect civilians, victims, and our fellow officers. Detective Olivia Benson with Manhattan's Special Victim's Unit, came dangerously close to giving her life, using all of those qualities to do exactly that. Protect a civilain, a victim, and a fellow officer."

Thunderous applause erupted, and Olivia sunk into her seat, slightly blushing.

"Thankfully, she pulled through and is with us here, tonight, with her beautiful and, I'm sure, very proud family." The chief gestured to their table and the applause grew.

"Oh, that's just wonderful," Olivia mumbled, trying to hide her face in Elliot's shoulder.

Elliot laughed and kissed her forehead. "It is," he said, kissing her again.

The chief continued his speech when the clapping quieted. "I hope all of you, tonight, while we eat, dance, and hand out these awards and commendations, keep that thought in the back of your mind. Life is short. Life is unpredictable. Take no moment for granted, think no dream or goal is out of reach, never begrudge someone their happiness out of your own misery, and never go to bed angry, for fear you will never get the chance to forgive. Always tell the ones you love that you love them, let that always be the last thing you say to them, just in case, God forbid, it truly is. As the men and women in the justice system of this great city, you take your life in your hands every day, and tonight we honor each other, and we honor those lives. Enjoy your evening, and I will see you all shortly for the awards presentaion."

There was more applause as the chief stepped down. His words hit Cragen like a ton of bricks. He was angry, he was begrudging Olivia and Elliot their happiness because he was upset, he took every moment with them for granted and he had given up the dream that Olivia would let him into her life, as her father. He sighed as he watched Elliot feed Olivia a forkful of steak. He chuckled when Olivia attempted to return the favor by holding out a bite of her lemon-herb fish, which Elliot was refusing like a three year old refusing cough syrup. He laughed harder when Dickie scooped all of his broccoli onto Lizzie's plate, and he shook his head, grinning, when Olivia picked up Lizzie's plate and piled the broccoli back onto Dickie's. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe there was more to their life than an affair. He would have to find out. He would have to talk to her, not as her captain, but as her father. He wanted to hear the truth. All of it. No matter how much a part of him would hate it, he knew some part of him would love it.

The evening wore on. Elliot and Olivia danced to every song. Olivia even found time to dance with Dickie, Fin, and Munch while Elliot danced with his three daughters. Awards and certificates were handed out, Elliot and Olivia walking away with a partnership award, a case-closer award, commendations of both Integrity and Valor, quite a few certificates of excellence in police duty, and Olivia received a Medal of Honor for her actions, risking her life for Elliot's. Each Stabler kid got to hold one award as they left, leaving Elliot and Olivia to handle the rest, and they were stopped on their way out the doors by Cragen.

"Olivia," he said, sighing, "I've been...my actions may have been...I'm sorry."

Olivia just looked at him, waiting.

"I would really love to, uh, talk to you," Cragen told her. "Tomorrow morning? Before work, my office? The both of you." He looked at Elliot. "It's important," he said.

Olivia looked at Elliot, who raised his eyebrow, then looked at Cragen. "Fine, Captain," she said. "See you in the morning. Come on, guys. Let's go home."

Cragen sighed as he watched Olivia and Elliot, hand-in-hand, usher the kids out of the room. He was looking forward to it, and dreading it, and he only had a few hours to come up with something to say to them.

**A/N: So what does he ask? What do Olivia and Elliot say? How does the rest of the department react to their little display at the dinner? Review! Or Tweet TMG212 on Twitter, and I will post chapter 11! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: A life-changing conversation with Cragen.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

Olivia and Elliot walked into the squadroom, coffee in hand. They put down their jackets and immediately headed for Cragen's door. Olivia sipped her coffee and looked at Elliot, sternly. He sighed as he knocked on the door. He heard Cragen say, "Come in," so he opened the door and in they went.

The captain gave Olivia a soft look and a small smile, thinking about how muvh she really did look like her mother, then shot Elliot a harsh glare, thinking about how he must have violated her little girl. "I have questions," he said, turning and leaning against his desk. "I need answers. I want to know everything. How did this start? What, uh, how has this worked? What the hell does the ring on Olivia's finger mean? I mean, please, I need to know if having an affair was...all this was. And I would like you to tell me the truth."

Olivia sipped her coffee as she sat down and scoffed. "I don't see how this is any of your business," she spat bitterly. "And what difference does it make? You're splitting us up, right? That's what this is about."

Cragen shook his head. "No, it's not. Olivia it makes a difference to me, as your father. And as your father and captain, it is my business. Now, please, I need to hear this. How and when did this, uh, thing start?" He said the word "thing" as if he were talking about a boil or wart. With severe disgust.

Elliot sat next to Olivia, took her hand, squeezed gently, and said, "With a kiss, four and a half years ago. I always say five, she always corrects me," he chuckled. "Our first kiss was at a bar, the night Cassidy quit. We, uh, both blamed the alcohol I guess, because we pretended nothing happened for two weeks after that. But there was so much tension between us." He brushed the hair out of Olivia's eyes, smiled softly at her, and said, "Then one night, we were here, working, and we had an incredibly tense moment. We just looked at each other and everything came to complete stop. We moved, we kissed, for a long time actually. That was when this became a real relationship, or what you're calling an affair."

Cragen narrowed his eyes. "You kiss and then that night...wait. You slept..."

"No," Elliot interrupted, meeting Cragen's eyes and shaking his head. "We didn't."

Cragen looked confused as he tilted his head. "But you just said..."

"I took her to dinner the next night," Elliot said. "We talked for hours, about what we felt for each other and how long we'd been feeling it. We talked about what we wanted and needed, what we were gonna do about it. We decided to start, uh, I guess you could call it seeing each other. Dating. I feel like a kid talking about his first girlfriend," he laughed. "It took a lot of lunches, and dinners, and movies before we even moved passed kissing. There were intimate moments, sure, but it wasn't...there wasn't any real..."

"Three months," Olivia interjected. "It was three months of dating, kissing, light touching, before sex was even an issue. It wasn't like every other relationship, if that's even what they were, that I've ever had. This, from the beginning, was a real 'I'm-in-love' relationship. We took it slow, for the first time in our lives."

Cragen's eyes were wide with surprise. "So you..."

"Took our time," Elliot interrupted. "We spent a lot of time just loving each other, enjoying each other, falling deeper into each other. We were making sure we weren't going to destroy or complicate our relationship if we took that next step. I was making sure she wasn't going to run, and she was making sure I wasn't going to leave in the morning. I'm not gonna give you details, but that first night, God, I didn't even know what real sex was until that night."

Cragen made a small, grimacing face. "Got it, thanks." He shook his head, then glared at Elliot and continued, "So you left in the middle of the night, right? Went home to your wife? Left her there to wake up alone?"

Olivia laughed bitterly. "You are really...I woke up wrapped in his arms, if you really wanna know. He cooked breakfast and we spent the day in bed. We spent the night with the kids, before I pretended to leave, then walked back in and spent the night in bed with him, again," she spat through gritted teeth. "Why the hell am I defending my relationship to you, here?"

Cragen, frustrated, threw his arms up. "Because it wasn't a relation..."

"Yes! It was!" Olivia yelled, standing up and putting her coffee down. "The only real, meaningful relationship I've ever had! The only time I ever feel loved, wanted, needed, is when I'm with him! I've been with him, helping him raise his kids, loving him...I've been treated like a fucking princess, which I don't deserve, for the last, God, almost five years!" She looked down at her hand, and smirked. "And this ring," she spat, sliding it off of her right hand and onto her left, "Is exactly what you think it is!"

"Oh, my God," Cragen gasped, standing up straighter. "Olivia, think about this! You're coming in second, here. Everything he has to offer you, he's already given to someone else! Is he really worth throwing your life and your career away? What about kids? He already has four! One is almost eighteen! He's not gonna want a baby, Olivia! He doesn't deserve you! You deserve to be the first and only in someone's life! With him, that's never gonna happen! He's only gonna hurt..."

"Damn it, Don!" Elliot barked. "What the fuck are you talking about? What the hell do you think she is? She is the first! She is the first and only person I have ever loved like this, so fucking completely. I have given her everything, all of me, parts of my life and myself that Kathy never got! We talked about kids, Don, and ya know what, pal? We want them! A lot of them!" He took a step closer to Cragen and narrowed his eyes. "You were right about one thing, though. I don't deserve her, I know that. But I love her, so fucking much, and she, for reasons I will never fully understand, loves me. She loves me! I don't know why, but she does! If you honestly believe that I would ever, ever hurt her, then you have your head further up your ass than I thought."

Olivia, eyeing Elliot with love in her pools of dark chocolate, smiled. Then her scowl came back and she turned toward Cragen. She pointed and said, "And my career? You asked if he was worth throwing my career away, the answer's yes. God, yes!" she yelled. "I love my job, more than I should, but I love him and those four little angels so much more. I love my life with him. Hell, he is my life!" She unclipped her badge and clutched it in her hands. "If you're threatening to fire one of us over this, then don't bother. I'll make it easy for you!" She unholstered her gun, and stepped closer to Cragen's desk.

Elliot gasped. "Baby, no!" he cried.

"Don't," Cragen yelled, holding out a hand to stop her. "Please, don't," he whispered. "I didn't mean that. I just wanted...I don't see how none of this bothers...he had a wife and kids, Olivia. How did you put up with waiting for him for four and a half years?"

Elliot rushed over, took the gun and badge out of her hands, and placed them back on her hip, pulling her close when he was done. "Don't scare me like that again, baby," he whispered into her ear. Then he looked up at Cragen. "She never had to wait for me. Kathy was never home," he said. "Olivia was more of a mother, more of a wife...I didn't have a life with Kathy. My life lies only with Liv, and it has, pretty much since we met. I swear to you, she was never, ever, treated like the other woman, or some thing on the side. She always has, and always will, come first."

Cragen sighed and smiled. "Thank you," he said. "I needed to hear that." He took a step closer to Olivia. "I couldn't stand thinking that this was just..." He paused, seeing the anger and hurt in her eyes. "You're happy. You're in love with someone who, clearly, loves you very much. You're getting married, and as your father, I couldn't be happier. But as your captain..."

Elliot interrupted. "Chief Monahan doesn't have a problem with us. Tucker saw us last night and didn't do anything! Can't you just let..."

"No," Cragen interrupted. "As long as I'm your captain, I can't be the father she needs me to be. I can't be worrying about when I'm going to have to split you up, when it's gonna be too much and I'll have to fire one of you. When she gets pregnant I'm not going to be able to let her do her job, because I'm way too emotionally involved, and she'll resent me. The only way to make this easy on all of is..." Again, he stopped, took Olivia's hand and said, "I've made a decision, Olivia. But you need to answer a question for me before I make that decision final. Do you want me in your life? As your father?"

Olivia looked back into his eyes and without thinking she answered him. "Yes," she whispered. "But I don't..."

Cragen interrupted her. "We'll work on it then," he said, smiling at her. "Sunday night, you and Elliot, dinner at Sardi's. Bring the kids." He moved to his desk, signed a few documents, picked them up and headed for the door. "I do love you, Olivia. Very much. And Elliot, you've always been like a son to me, so it's only fitting that, now, soon, you really will be." He nodded at them both and opened the door, leaving the room.

Olivia looked up at Elliot, confused. "What the hell just happened here?"

Elliot let go of her and walked toward Cragen's desk, picking up a sheet of paper he left behind. He read it and inhaled sharply. "Christ, Liv!"

Olivia turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

Elliot walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. He squeezed and said, "Cragen just transferred."

**A/N: What? For real? Where did he go? Who's the new captain at SVU? And what truth comes out during that dinner? Review, if you'd like to find out! Here, or on Twitter TMG212. Thanks for reading, and keeping this story going! I love you all. Honest. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sometimes, being honest can really bring a family together. Apologies for the teeny, weeny chap. I was on the beach, on my phone, and I only had half an hour to write it before I was yelled at for "not enjoying my vacation."**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU, characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story. She shares it with you for your entertainment, enjoyment, and hopes that it will make you laugh, cry, think, hope, love and leave a review! Here, or follow me on Twitter. TMG212**

"Are we really having dinner with Captain Cragen?" Maureen asked, sitting at the reserved table at Sardi's.

"Yeah, sweetie," Olivia said, uneasily. "We are."

Elliot held out her chair as she sat, kissed the back of her neck sending chills down her spine, and lightly brushed her cheek. "Relax, baby," he whispered into her ear.

Olivia turned slightly to him and whispered back, "You just made me more nervous," she said with narrowed eyes and a smirk. "Excited actually."

Elliot chuckled and kissed her. "Plenty of time for that later," he whispered with a wink. He looked into her eyes. "We'll get him back, babe," he said, nuzzling her nose.

"I hope so," Olivia said, watching Elliot sit next to her. She grabbed his hand gently and said, "I don't know how much more of Captain Munch I can stand."

"He hasn't been that bad," Elliot said with a shrug. "Just a little...odd."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "He bought us all new digital cell phones because he thought the FBI and CIA bugged the old ones."

Elliot laughed and squeezed her hand. "Okay, so Munch is being...Munch. He's still not as bad as someone else would be."

Olivia shrugged, then held her breath as Cragen walked up to the table. She squeezed Elliot's hand as her other hand dug into his leg.

Elliot wrapped an arm around her as Cragen held out his hand to shake his. He wrestled his hand out of Olivia's deathgrip and shook Cragen's hand, then watched the man sit. "Don," he said, "You remember our kids. Maureen, Kathleen, Lizzie and Dickie."

Each child waved as their names were mentioned.

Cragen's eyes flickered with surprised as Elliot said "our kids" not "the kids." He pulled his chair closer to the table and smiled. "Of course, I remember," he said. "I am actually very interested in getting to know you guys tonight."

"Are you firing our parents?" Kathleen asked, bluntly.

Olivia gasped, Elliot chuckled, and Cragen looked slightly embarrassed.

"No, no," Cragen said, shaking his head. "You didn't tell them, I take it?" he asked, looking up at Olivia.

Olivia scoffed and her mouth opened slightly. "No," she said. "I didn't. I barely believe it myself, I'm not gonna drag my entire family into something that I can't even come to terms with yet!"

"Tell us what, Mom?" Dickie asked, leaning over.

Elliot looked at his son strangely. "Dickie, did you you just..."

"Yeah," Dickie said. "I did. I think it's been long enough, and I feel like calling her that. You don't mind, do you?"

"No," Elliot said, smiling at him. "As long as Liv..."

"I don't mind at all," Olivia interrupted, wiping the tears that had sprung to her eyes with her red cloth napkin.

Elliot smiled at her, kissed her temple, and gave Dickie another soft look.

"Okay," Kathleen said, rolling her eyes, "So tell us what now?"

Elliot looked at Olivia. Olivia looked at him, then at Cragen. Cragen looked at Olivia, then at Elliot, then they all looked down.

"You are firing our parents," Lizzie said, shaking her head.

"No, honey," Olivia said. "He was asking if I told you...that he is...my father."

All of the kids looked up, shocked, making gasping noises and disbelieving faces. "You raped her mother?" Maureen asked, appalled.

"No!" Elliot yelled. "Honey, no," he said softer. "Her mother was already pregnant when she was assaulted. He knew Liv's mom."

"Very well, apparently," Kathleen said, her face still screwed up in shock. "Why did you just leave her there with her mother then?"

Cragen looked at Kathleen, sighed, and said, "That wasn't her mother, sweetie."

Olivia, angry again at bringing this up, said, "See, my mother was actually killed by her rapist, three hours after she had me. The woman who raised me, if you can call it that, was my aunt. Her sister." She looked at Cragen and said, "So aside from never knowing who my father was, I never really knew my mother, either."

Elliot rested his hand on Olivia's leg, calming her. "Okay, honey, okay. Can we just have dinner? We will tell you guys the whole story at home. I swear." He leaned over to Olivia and whispered, "You told him you wanted him in your life, so give him a chance to do that, huh?"

Olivia sighed. "Yeah," she said with a small nod.

"Oh, and, uh, Don," Elliot said, turning to the man, "We would like you to, please, consider transferring back. It's not the same without you. You can't possibly be happy, and we're not as, uh..."

"Good," Olivia said, taking a sip of water.

Cragen chuckled. "I don't believe that," he said. "Munch always handled things well when..."

"When he thought you were coming back," Olivia said. "Now that this is his job, permanently, he's lost. And without a solid captain at the helm..."

Cragen held up a hand. "Yeah, I get it." He looked at the couple, and the kids, and he sighed. "If we make it through this dinner, without you hating me, I'll consider coming back. Deal?"

The kids looked at Olivia and Elliot, waiting. Elliot and Olivia looked at each other and then to Cragen. They nodded as the waiter came over.

Maureen looked up at her father and asked, "Daddy, how much are we allowed..."

"Get whatever you want, honey," Cragen said. "It's my treat, tonight."

Elliot shook his head. "This place is expensive, Don, we can't let you..."

"I'm buying my family a nice dinner, Elliot," he said. "And...my fiancée is meeting us for dessert."

Olivia spat her water out, spraying Elliot and Dickie, as well as the table.

"Mom!" Dickie yelled.

"Baby!" Elliot yelped at the same time, wiping himself off with his napkin. "What was that for?"

"Stepmother," Olivia coughed.

Elliot's eyes widened in realization, he turned toward the very confused waiter, and he said, as calmly and normally as he could, "We need a bottle of red wine, your finest. Four cherry Cokes, and seven Caesar salads. To start. Thanks."

The waiter walked away and then Elliot looked at Cragen. "Okay, Don, you've been harping on us about being honest and not hiding anything from you, so who is she?"

"I'm gonna have a stepmother," Olivia said, taking another sip of water.

Cragen nodded. "Yeah, Olivia. You are. It's, uh, Lena."

Olivia's jaw dropped. "Judge Petrovsky?"

Cragen smiled. "Yes," he said with a nod.

"It makes sense," Elliot said. "That's why she kept calling us her detectives, and why she didn't look irritated about us being together."

Cragen sighed, making room for his salad as the waiter came back. "Yeah, she loves you guys. She knows. She knows everything."

"You told her you were my father before you told me?" Olivia asked, sadness more than anger coming through in her voice.

"Olivia, I did, but it was only because..." Cragen paused, looking at them. "You tell Elliot everything, don't you?"

Olivia nodded. "Point taken."

Kathleen looked at Olivia, rested a hand on her shoulder, and as the wine glass and salad plate were placed in front of her, she said, "Mom, you're going to have parents."

Olivia's head turned toward Kathleen's. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She blinked once. She reached for her wine, swallowed it back, and shook it off, then said, "Yeah, I am, huh?"

Elliot smiled at her, leaned in close, kissed her, and said, "Baby, this is what you've always wanted. Isn't it?"

"Honey," Olivia said, pecking his lips, "What I wanted was a family. I already have that. You gave that to me. This is...this is too much."

"It's gonna be fine," Elliot promised, jabbing his fork into her salad, sliding it into her mouth. He watched her eyes roll back and he laughed. "Good?"

Olivia nodded. "Delicious," she said, chewing.

"Could you guys be less nauseous-making?" Kathleen asked, smirking, sipping her soda.

Cragen laughed. "I think they're sweet."

"Thanks," Elliot said, using his fork to take a bite of his own salad. He leaned back over to Olivia, fed her another bite of her salad, kissed her nose, an said, "Think of it this way, sweetheart. Our family's just getting a little bigger, that's all."

Olivia sighed. "El, as long as we're just tossing thr truth out the window here," she said, "I don't want to wait. Let's plan this thing, get married..."

"Have a baby," Elliot said, holding her gaze.

Olivia dropped her forehead to his and she smiled. "I love you," she said.

"I love you, too, baby," Elliot said. "Eat." He slid his fork, with her salad on it, into her mouth.

The table laughed and ate, trying to enjoy their new relationship, their time as a family. The couple watching them, six tables away, from the shadows, wanted to either become a part of the family, or tear it apart. And that was the truth.

**A/N: Who's watching? What're they gonna do? And what does Petrovsky say when she gets there? Reviews will make my sunny vaycay even sunnier…just sayin'. Love you all. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sometimes, people are more equipped to handle the truth than they are given credit for, and inspiration and advice comes from an unlikely source. Honestly.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters are owned by Dick Wolf. This story, all of it, is owned by TStabler©**

Olivia awoke with a sharp pain her in side, seething quietly, hoping the man to her right wouldn't notice.

He noticed.

He leaped up and reached out to her, immediately, cupping her face. "Look at me," he said. "Liv, look at me. You can't lie to me when you look at me. What's wrong?"

"Can't lie to you anyway, El," Olivia said through clenched teeth, rolling over, trying to make the pain stop.

Elliot helped her sit up, then made a firm decision. "I'm taking you to the..."

"We agreed," Olivia spat, shooting him a glare.

"Baby," Elliot sighed, "I am not waking Melinda up at three in the morning because you don't wanna go to the hospital." His eyes did the begging for him. "Liv..."

Olivia groaned. "El, baby, please, it's probably..."

Elliot stopped her. "There could be something wrong. Something's not healing right, or not at all, or..."

"Okay." Olivia finally succumbed to his will, nodding with her bottom lip between her teeth. If she was being honest with him, and herself, she had to admit she was in too much pain to fight him on this anymore.

Elliot helped her up and into sweats, then roused the kids. They piled, worried and nervous, into the SUV, and headed off to Mercy General. Olivia and Elliot's hands remained firmly clenched together as they waited in the uncomfortable chairs.

"I hate this," Olivia whispered to Elliot, her head dropping, in pain, fear, and exhaustion to his shoulder.

Elliot scraped his teeth over his own lip. "The last time I was sitting in this chair, I had your badge in my hand, praying to God as hard as I could that you'd..." he stopped, unable to finish his statement. "Nothing mattered at that moment, baby. Nothing. Not Kathy, who was in the same fucking hospital, dead. Not my own career, not my own life, both of which you saved that night. The only thing that mattered was you. Breathing. Living. I swear to God if some fucking ignorant doctor did anything to..."

"Benson?" the nurse called, snapping Elliot out of his threat.

Elliot tugged on her hand and brought her up to the desk. "Tell her," he prodded, using his free hand to swoop a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I think it's nothing, he thinks it's the end of the world."

"Well," the nurse said, leaning in. "What is it, Detective?"

Olivia cleared her throat. "Two months ago, I got shot and..."

"I remember," the nurse interrupted, shuddering.

Olivia nodded. "Well, since then, I've been having these...

Elliot interrupted, out of fear that Olivia would downplay what was going on, making herself seem fine. "She wakes up with these...not cramps...like, shooting pains, uh, like, I dunno, being stabbed. They were mild at first, only hitting when she turned the wrong way or bent down. Then it was when she woke up in the morning, now they're waking her up in the mid..."

"Can I tell the nurse what's going on with my body?" Olivia asked, interrupting, smirking at the way he took control, and described it so perfectly. She kissed him softly and nuzzled his nose, then another pain hit her. She clenched his shoulder and curled into him.

"I got you, baby," Elliot comforted. "It's okay," he said, glancing helplessly at the nurse.

"I'll go get Doctor Dougrey," the nurse said, nodding and running off. She came back moments later with the doctor and a wheelchair, and the kids sat in the chairs, unable to do anything as they watched their father, and the woman who had become their mother, disappear out of view behind wooden swinging doors.

Maureen had Lizzie's head resting in her lap and Kathleen's on her shoulder, when she turned her head. "You know, my parents are cops. You're not supposed to be this close to anyone in my family," she said, talking to the man who had taken her father's vacated seat. "You shouldn't be here. Just like you shouldn't have been at Sardi's last week."

"I know that," the man said. "I'm not going to hurt you, Maureen. I just want to talk to you. You know who I am?"

Maureen nodded. "Your the father of the man who killed my mother," she said with her father's narrow-eyed smirk. "The man who tried to kill my father, who almost killed my stepmother."

"No," the man said, his voice now angry. "I'm your grandfather."

"Really?" Maureen asked, her eyes widening. "Then you have seventeen years of birthdays, and Christmases, and Easters, and Valentine's Days to make up for."

"I know," the man said with a smile. "What would you like? Your grandmother and I will be more than happy to..."

"Leave me alone," Maureen said, stroking Lizzie's hair. "Leave my family alone." She looked into the man's eyes. "That's what I want."

The man's face fell. "I can't do that," he said.

"You have to know," Maureen began, "You have to believe that my father didn't know about your son, and neither did I. We would like to pretend we still don't."

The man opened his mouth to say something, but Maureen stopped him.

"Look, Mister Stanfield," Maureen said, "I know you're hurting. I know you think that I'm the only link you have to your son, now, but I'm not. I can't give you any connection to your son. He had nothing to do with raising me, he didn't even know I existed. Blame my dead mother for that, but don't take it out on me, or my father. Yeah, my father, because I am Elliot Stabler's daughter. I'm a Stabler."

The man sighed. "You're a Stan..."

Maureen laughed. "Are you kidding? I don't even know your son's name, and I don't want to. I'm a Stabler. Actually, I think I'm part Benson, now, too. She rubbed off on all of us in the last five years, and I'm not sorry she did. I would like you to stop this, Mister Stanfield. You asked what I want, and that's it. I don't need to be part of a legal hearing right now, ya know? Right now, I need to be worried about why my stepmother is in pain, why my twelve-year-old sister barks like a puppy in her sleep, why my little brother sticks random objects up his nose, why I can't find a date to the prom yet every guy on the football team asks me for help with his Spanish homework. I need to worry about my family, and my life, and that does not, and will never, include you and your wife, or the horrifying memory of your psychopathic son."

Martin Stanfield smiled at Maureen and scoffed a bit. "You are a very mature girl," he said. He reached out a hand to touch her. "You're so..."

"What the hell are you doing?" Elliot said, finally breaking his silence. He had controlled his emotions as he listened to his daughter, filled with pride and love as he heard her words, but no way was he letting this man touch his baby.

Stanfield rose out of his seat. "Leaving," he said. "I'm leaving, and I won't be bothering you again. You have...an amazing daughter, Elliot."

"Yeah, I do. I have three amazing daughters, an incredible son, and phenomenal fiancée," Elliot said, his eyes still narrowed in anger at Stanfield. "I've got the perfect life."

Stanfield nodded. "I'll stay out of it," he said. "I'll call the judge in the morning and, uh, drop the suit."

Elliot nodded, running his hand through Maureen's hair, biting his tongue. "Good," he said. He looked down at Maureen and said, "Mom's okay, you guys can go see her. Follow the nurse."

Maureen nudged Lizzie and Kathleen awake, and slapped Dickie in the head, breaking his concentration from the video game he was playing. She led the kids over to the nurse, who led them into Olivia's room.

"What, uh, what was wrong with your wife?" Stanfield asked.

"Fiancée," Elliot corrected. "We're getting married in three months, though, so..." he took a breath and ran a hand down his face. "Complications from the gunshot wounds she sustained, protecting me from your son. Infected tissue, a muscle's not healing right because of it, causing spasms, nothing life threatening thank God, but if I wasn't just as stubborn as she was and forced her to come here when I did it would have been."

Stanfield sighed. His son had caused a lot of pain for a lot of people. "How are you...can you afford..."

"We have pretty decent insurance," Elliot said. "The NYPD takes care of its own."

Stanfield, feeling guilty now, grew curious. "Where was she hit, Elliot? I mean, what happened that night?"

Elliot sighed and sat in his daughter's seat. He hated reliving the memory of that night, the details, but he would, if it meant someone else would have to live with the guilt and the pain, too. "SHe jumped in front of me before I could stop her. I would have stopped her. The she just kept getting hit, firing back. One in the shoulder. Missed her heart by a couple of inches," he said, flinching as he actually saw the scene in his head. A tear rolled down his cheek. "One in the stomach, she couldn't eat solid food for a week. And one...if it had been two inches to the right, she would have had a problem having kids. Do you know how badly she wants to be a mother? She can't wait. She wants her own football team," he said with a sniffle and a chuckle. "And she's gonna get it, if I have to kill myself trying to give it to her." He looked up at Stanfield. "That dream was almost ripped away from her, because of your son, and then you walk into our lives and try to take away one of the children we do have? That takes balls."

Stanfield hung his head. "You would do the same thing, if you found out you had another child, or grandchild, out there," he said.

"Oh, I would want the kid," Elliot said, nodding, "But I would not try to rip the family apart! I would not have done things the way you did, and the circumstances would be...different. I wouldn't have..."

"I know," Stanfield said, nodding. "Like I said, we'll be out of your hair. He gave one last look in the direction of the exam room, and saw Olivia pushing the doors open, with Dickie in her arms. "A football team, huh?"

"She wants boys. You'd think that I just want her to want them, but she really wants them," Elliot said, smiling. "We've got names picked out and everything," he laughed.

"Did you really tell her you'd make her a mommy, Elliot?" Stanfield asked, smiling at Olivia, holding the four Stabler kids a big hug.

"I did," Elliot said, smiling. "I promised. As soon as we could...we would."

Stanfield looked down at Elliot and said, "A word of advice, before you never see me again, Elliot. There are four people in the world you should never, ever lie to." He held Elliot's gaze. "God, yourself, your mother, your wife, and your best friend."

"That was five," Elliot said, confused.

"No. It wasn't." Stanfield said. He walked away as Elliot understood.

Elliot smirked as he got up, walked over to Olivia, and kissed her. "We have to stop at the pharmacy and pick up your pills," he said. He kissed her again, avoiding the sounds of feigned disgust coming from his kids. "You're my best friend, Liv," he whispered to her.

"You're mine," Olivia answered, smiling at him. "Now, tell me something I don't know."

Elliot chuckled. "I just think it's amazing, ya know? I'm marrying my best friend. I get to work, side-by-side, with my best friend. My best friend is going to be raising my children with me, and my best friend...my wife...is the only person in the world who I have complete faith and complete trust in. I'm lucky, Liv."

"What happened out here, El?" Olivia asked, looking into his eyes, searching them for something but finding only love and the light that shone brightly whenever he looked at her.

Elliot kissed her again. "Martin Stanfield. He gave me some unexpectedly good advice. Once you are off these antibiotics, baby, we're working on a linebacker."

Olivia chuckled as Elliot pecked her neck with tiny kisses. "Linebacker?" she asked, laughing and trying to stifle a moan.

"We could start with the quarterback," Elliot said. "Fullback, tailback, doesn't matter."

"What are you talking..." Olivia stopped and her eyes widened slightly. "Before we get...El...is that what you..."

Elliot stopped her talking with another kiss. "We could always plan it faster," he said, his eyes darting between hers, looking from her lips to her eyes, finding it impossible to focus. "Marry me, have my football team," he said with a chuckle, kissing her. "Unless you really want to..."

"I'd be lying if I said I wanted to wait," Olivia interrupted. "I love you," she whispered, nudging his cheek with her nose.

"I love you, too, baby," Elliot said. He looked down as his laughing, eye-rolling, amused children. "Okay, Stablers. Out to the car. Clearly, no one is going to school or work today. We will call Cragen, and he will make us do paperwork until our fingers...

"Shit," Olivia said as they walked. "Cragen. Dinner with Petrovsky. That's tonight," she told Elliot, whining.

Elliot got into the driver's seat, leaned over to pull the seatbelt over Olivia, and sighed. "You really aren't open to this whole thing, are you?" he asked, whispering.

"I'm happy," Olivia sighed. "With you and the kids, and I don't regret telling the truth about us. Not one bit, it was...it was about damn time," she laughed. "The rest of it, I really could have done without. I'm a grown woman, El. I don't really need parents wandering into my life right now."

Elliot felt the vibrating of his cell then, and pulled it out of his pocket. He rolled his eyes as he started the car. "Honey," he whispered, handing her the phone. "It's Alex."

**A/N: What does Alex want? With Alex comes Porter. And will we see more of Trevor and Casey? Honesty may not be the best policy this time... Review if you'd like! Here or on Twitter. Follow TMG212. =) Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: What does Alex want? Does she even get the chance to talk? How close is Olivia to cracking, and how does Elliot stop her from doing it?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU belongs to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler© She's not profiting/earning money, just enjoyment. =)**

Olivia took the phone out of Elliot's hand, let it ring twice, then hit the button with the red phone on it, ignoring the call.

"Honey?" Elliot questioned, taking his phone back.

"I can't deal with her right now," Olivia whispered. "Just take me to get the pills, and take me home."

Elliot grabbed her hand, squeezing, and he nodded. He knew this was all too much for them to handle, he knew they were handling it too well. He knew she was about to crack and trying like hell not to, and he had to get her home, behind closed doors, in bed and in his arms so she'd get it over with.

Olivia waited in the car with the sleeping kids as Elliot ran into the pharmacy to get her pills. The five minutes he was gone, the five minutes she was alone, were torture. She had to remind herself to breathe numerous times, and it wasn't until Elliot got back into the car and pointed it out that she realized she picked a hole in the bottom of her shirt.

Elliot drove fast, parking in their deck and waking up his weary kids. He looped his right arm around Olivia and half-carried her, getting into their apartment silently, walking her into the bedroom, and without her asking, he pulled a fresh pair of pajamas out of her drawer. "Baby," he said softly, pulling her top over her head, "Talk to me." He eased the clean top down over her head, then slid down her sweatpants, carefully avoiding her healing, sore, wounds. He helped her step into her flannel pants and then pulled her into his arms. "Liv," he prodded, "Please."

Olivia sighed as she buried her head in his chest. "I just want it all to go away, El," she mumbled. "Cragen and Petrovsky, and Alex and Porter, and fucking Martin Stanfield...I don't want to deal with any of it."

Elliot drew lazy circles on her back as he swayed them gently back and forth, as if dancing, something he learned calmed her down very early in their relationship. "We'll take it all one thing at a time, baby," he said, pulling her closer to the bed. He made sure he had a grip on her and pulled them onto the mattress, covering them with the quilt. "Porter can fucking move to Japan, I couldn't possibly care any less. Alex...we'll have to talk to her eventually," he began, trailing his hands up her sides. "Stanfield's promised to stay out of our lives, so right now we just have to deal with Cragen and Petrovsky."

Olivia tensed up beside him when he said those names. "I'm not sure about it, El. I thought...I thought I wanted to know. I thought having a father would be...would change something. But knowing it's Don? Knowing he knew, he didn't tell me, he..."

"I know, Liv," Elliot said, placing a kiss to her forehead.

"I did pretty damn good by myself," Olivia said. "I grew up without a father and a shitty excuse for a mother, who wasn't my mother, and I'm fucking fine."

"You are," Elliot said, snuggling closer to her. "You are amazing, Liv."

"So why do I need him now?" Olivia asked, her eyes burning with refusal to cry.

"You don't," Elliot said, pecking her head with kisses. "But you want him in your life. Be honest with yourself sweetheart, you want him to be a part of your life, but you're scared. I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told you when I was trying to convince you to let us happen."

Olivia shook her head. "This isn't the same..."

Elliot interrupted her. "The things that scare us the most are the things that are worth going after," he said. "Being with me scared the shit out of you, because if we fucked up we both would have lost everything, because you are my everything, Liv, and I'm yours. We knew that, even back then. We took the chance, and look at us now. Happier than ever, a few moths from a wedding and a family of our own, now tell me what letting the fear stop us would have meant."

Olivia pondered his question, having heard his words. She didn't feel like crying anymore. She felt something else. She tilted her head up and looked into his eyes. "You've made your point," she said with a smirk. "When did you get so damn insightful and smart, anyway?"

"Oh, this hot chick I'm marrying makes me want to be a better person," Elliot told her, smiling, "So I pay close attention to what she does and says, and I try to be more like her."

Olivia kissed him. "You trying to get lucky, Stabler?" she asked in a whisper.

"Definitely," Elliot said with a smirk.

"Nice, El," Olivia laughed, kissing him again.

Elliot chuckled against her lips. "I'm just being honest," he shrugged, kissing her. "Is it working?" he asked, kissing her again, dropping his voice and running his hands through her hair. "Am I gonna get lucky, Liv?"

Olivia kissed him and let her hands glide over his chest, and she nodded against his lips. "You're gonna," she whispered. "Just not tonight, baby." She nuzzled his nose and kissed him sweetly.

Elliot stopped her hand as it moved to cup his face. "I already did get lucky," he whispered, peering into her eyes. "I meant what I said, Liv. We can take this one step at a time. No one is asking us to deal with everything at once, we'd both go crazy."

Olivia sighed and nodded, dropping her forehead to his. "I know," she whispered with a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Elliot returned, gently turning Olivia on her side, holding her close. He shot out a hand and turned off the lamp, and pressed his forehead to hers. "Goodnight, baby," he whispered.

"Goodnight," Olivia said quietly, wrapping herself around him. She held on, sinking into him, and fell asleep, forgetting about the harsh realities waiting for her when she woke up.

* * *

"You're cheating!" Dickie's voice echoed through the house. Olivia's eyes fluttered as she heard Lizzie yell back, "You're delusional!"

Olivia laughed as she took a deep breath, waking up, and heard Elliot say, "I think you owe your sister three hundred dollars. That's a nice chunk of property with two hotels you just landed on." She smiled and got out of the bed, ran her hands through her hair, and padded into the living room.

As soon as he saw her, Elliot threw the dice that he'd been shaking in his hand, said, "Move for me, Maury," and got up. He ran into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, and one of Olivia's pills. He walked over to her, kissing her soundly on the lips before thrusting the bottle into her hands. "Here," he said. "Take it."

Olivia raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, then popped the pill into her mouth, opened the water bottle, and downed half of it. "Happy?" she asked, kissing the end of his nose.

"Oh, yeah," Elliot said, pulling her into his arms. He nuzzled her nose, looking into her eyes.

"Ahem," Kathleen said, clearing her throat. "Daddy, you landed on Baltic Avenue."

"Buy it for me," Elliot said, kissing Olivia, ignoring the game and the table for a moment. A moment turned into several as the kiss deepened.

His kids laughed to themselves, and Lizzie took the exact amount of money from her father's pile, and leaving him the card. "Your turn, Katie."

Kathleen pointed to Olivia and Elliot. "But Dad is..."

"He's gonna be busy for a while," Maureen said, smirking. "Go."

Kathleen rolled her eyes then rolled the dice, but before she could move her top hat, there was a knock on the door. "Dad," she said, getting no answer. "Dad, the door?" she prodded. "Mom? Earth to parental units! Ground control to major Tom! The kitchen is on fire!"

Elliot and Olivia were locked together, in a tight embrace and soft yet passionate kiss, and they hadn't heard anything.

"I'll get it," Maureen said loudly and obnoxiously. "If it's a serial killer, you're gonna be sorry."

"Because serial killer always knock on their victims doors," Lizzie said, folding her arms.

"Bite me, birbbrain," Maureen said. She walked over to the front door and swung it open, then took a step back. "Hello," she said.

"Hello, Maureen," the man at the door said. "Is your dad here?"

Maureen nodded, but before she could say anything, Elliot appeared behind her, Olivia still in his arms. "Cap," he said, confused. "Your Honor," he added, nodding at Judge Petrovsky.

"Elliot, please," the judge said. "This is a social visit. Call me Lena."

Elliot tried to smile. "What are you doing here?" he asked them, feeling Olivia tense up beside him.

"When you called and told me you had to take her to the...Elliot, my heart stopped. I thought something was seriously wrong," Cragen said, walking into the house. Elliot gestured for them to sit, and they did. "I don't think going out tonight is a good idea, with the way she's feeling, but I did want to see you. All of you."

Elliot nodded and looked at Olivia, who was still in her pink flannel pajamas. He smiled at her and brushed her hair back. They sat on the loveseat and Elliot turned to Cragen. "Hey, uh, have you given any more thought to coming..."

"The Stanfields dropped the lawsuit," Lena said, knowing Cragen didn't want to tell them anything about work right now.

Olivia nodded. "We know they did," she said. "So are you coming back to..."

"Olivia," Cragen said, sighing, "I would love to, really, but...there's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow.

Dickie yelled from the table, "Dad, since we're not going out, can we order pizza?"

"Yeah," Elliot yelled back. "What problem?"

Cragen sighed. "The chief doesn't have a problem with you two, since you've proven you can separate work and your relationship, and the only time you choose each other over a victim...is when one of you is the victim. However, he does have a problem with me being my daughter's boss." He shook his head and looked at them, shrugging. "He'll only let me transfer back, if you transfer out."

**A/N: Dilemma! How did the chief find out Olivia was Cragen's daughter? Is there a leak in the SVU? Is there a way to convince the cheif to let Cragen back without making Olivia leave? And when they get back to work, under Munch's command, how will the truth being out at work affect the unit? Wanna know? Lemme know! Here or on Twitter. TMG212!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Dilemma! How did the chief find out Olivia was Cragen's daughter? Is there a leak in the SVU? Is there a way to convince the chief to let Cragen back without making Olivia leave? And when they get back to work, under Munch's command, how will the truth being out at work affect the unit?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU belongs to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler© She's not profiting/earning money, just enjoyment. =)**

Olivia walked into the squadroom Monday morning, followed closely by Elliot, and they both sat behind their desks. Olivia sipped her coffee and let out a sigh as she looked toward the captain's door. "Maybe I should..."

"No, you shouldn't," Elliot said, eyeing her suspiciously.

Olivia smirked at him. "How did you even know what I was going to..."

"I always know what you're gonna..." Elliot didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.

"Not always," Olivia interrupted, again. "Like right now, you don't have any idea that I'm going..."

"To tell me that you think coming back today was a bad idea, and you wanna go home," Elliot said, sipping his coffee, grinning. "Nah, had no idea at all."

Olivia rolled her eyes and chuckled, sending another glance at the captain's office. The door opened and Munch walked out, looking serious.

"How are you feeling," Munch asked, pointing to Olivia.

"Fine," Olivia returned. "Why?"

Munch lowered his head to peer at her over his glasses. "I don't need you popping a stitch, busting a kidney, or something."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Let me do my damn job, huh?" she spat.

Munch nodded and handed her a pink slip of paper. "Go," he said. Then he looked at Elliot. "If anything happens, you should jump in front of her, ya know? Return the favor?"

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Did I do something to piss you off Munch?" he asked. "I've only been here for five minutes."

"I am stuck in this position," Munch said, tilting his head, "Because of you."

"What?" Elliot asked. "How did you come to that completely wrong conclusion?"

Munch took a step toward Elliot and bent down, looming over him. "You're the one that told Chief Frotham that Olivia was Cragen's daughter and got him transferred."

"Hey," Elliot said, rising, "Cragen transferred on his own, John! And why the hell would I tell the chief anything about Olivia's personal life? Or Cragen's for that matter?"

"You're after his job," Munch spat harshly. "You want the unit in your back pocket, don't you?"

Elliot scoffed. "Yeah, I really want to run the entire unit. My goal in life is to sit on my ass behind a desk all day while my wife is out there risking her fucking life with an asshole like you, who couldn't shoot his way out of a papaer bag, as a partner!"

"Woah," Munch said, backing up. "Wife?"

Elliot's eye twitched and he cleared his throat. "Fian...girlf...partner!" He ripped the pink paper out of Olivia's hand and snapped, "Why would I jeopardize our partnership? I don't trust Olivia's life in anyone else's hands."

"Being in yours almost got her killed," Munch said.

Olivia stood quickly and yelled, "He didn't even know I was there until I jumped in front of him, Munch!"

"Yeah," Munch said, turning to her, "But if he wasn't your partner you wouldn't have felt...you called her your wife," he said, suddenly quieter, turning back to Elliot. "You two are married?"

"No," Olivia said, walking over to Elliot, preparing to leave on their call. "But," she said, holding up her left hand, "We're going to be."

Munch's eyes widened, then narrowed. "You really didn't tell the chief," he mumbled, looking at Elliot.

"I told you I didn't," Elliot said, grabbing the keys to their maroon sedan. He looked up at Munch and said, "But someone did. Considering there's only two other people who know, it's probably one of them." He threw the keys up in the air, catching them, as he sent Fin a glare. "Ask around," he said, nodding to his friend. "You know who it was."

Fin looked back at him, tilting his head. "You think so?"

"Fin," Elliot said, "He's the only other person who was there when..."

"All right," Fin interrupted. "I'll call."

"Thanks," Elliot said. He placed a hand on Olivia's lower back and guided her toward the door. They left and Munch turned, looking at Fin, who had picked up his phone to dial a number, hoping to get an answer.

* * *

"Three hours," Munch yelled when Olivia and Elliot walked in. "Where the hell were you for three hours?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Man, your captain pants are on too tight," she said. "It took an hour at the scene, taking statements, collecting the evidence, talking to Melinda."

"Then we had to notify the vic's family. They live out in fucking Queens, and the goddamned father punched me, like they always do, so we were there for a good forty-five minutes trying to calm him down and I had to practically beg Olivia not to arrest him."

"You forget how long it takes to work a case already?" Olivia asked, annoyed. She plopped a cup of coffee in front of Fin, then reluctantly handed Munch one.

Munch sighed. "Thanks," he said softly. "Sorry, I just...know that you two are...out...I have to watch you at every turn, because without Cragen this place is confusing. Without you two it'd be..."

Fin held up a hand. "Munch, I'm not gonna let you finish that sentence."

Olivia chuckled as she walked over to her desk. "Fin, did you, uh, call..."

"Yeah," Fin said, nodding. "It wasn't him. He did, however, tell me that someone else knew, and this person would have every reason to want Cragen out of here, since he'd promised not to fire one of you."

"Shit," Elliot said, knowing. "Tucker."

* * *

Half passed midnight, after a rough day of searching for clues and suspects in their case and Olivia trying to convince Elliot not to kill Ed Tucker, they crept into their house, quietly, trying not to wake the kids.

"You really think it wasd Ed? After the talk we had?" Olivia asked, going to the kitchen as Elliot plopped onto the couch.

"Liv," Elliot said, "The man had an affair with my wife and still looked me right in the eyes every, single, damn day. He promised he wouldn't do anything to us, he never said he wouldn't do anything to Cragen. I guarantee he is the one stopping Don from coming back."

Olivia headed to the couch, handing Elliot a cold beer. "Here," she said, sitting next to him with a can of her own. "You could use it, tonight."

"Thanks, baby," Elliot said, kissing the side of her head. "You spoil me."

"Yeah, what goes around comes around," Olivia chuckled, sipping from her can. "How's your eye?"

Elliot made a face and shrugged. "Doesn't hurt," he said. "Guy didn't hit me that hard. You were on him pretty fast." He chugged his beer with a smirk.

"Well, you know how I get when someone hurts you," Olivia said. "Besides, I had to cuff him, he assaulted an officer."

Elliot shook his head and laughed. "You're a fucking firecracker, Olivia Benson," he said looking over at her. "And I'm so in love with you it's ridiculous."

"El," Olivia sighed, "Honey, I love you, too."

"Colors," Elliot said.

Olivia raised an eyebrow, sipped her beer, and cleared her throat. "What?" she asked.

Elliot laughed and wrapped an arm around her, cuddling up to her on the couch. "We should pick colors. A theme. So you can take the girls out to find pretty dresses. We need flowers, and candles, and..."

"Are you actually trying to plan the wedding right now?" Olivia asked, slightly shocked.

"Uh, yeah," Elliot said. "Why?"

Olivia chuckled. "Okay, five years ago, when we talked about your wedding, you said you didn't help her plan a damn thing. You said all you wanted to do was show up and get it over with."

Elliot chugged back the rest of his beer, putting the empty can on the coffee table. "Yeah, uh, that was because I was marrying Kathy. I was eighteen, scared shitless, didn't really know what I was doing, just that I was doing the right thing...or I thought I was." He kissed the very center of her forehead and said, "With you, I feel the desperate need to be involved with every little detail. Like...this is the wedding I should have had, then, with the woman I should have been with."

Olivia scoffed. "You don't have to be involved in every..."

"I wanna be," Elliot said. "You have no idea, Liv. This is important to me, and to you, and to the kids, and I wanna be involved."

Olivia kissed him, slowly and sweetly, and as she pulled away with closed eyes, she said, "Blue and white."

"What kind of blue?" Elliot asked, kissing her again.

Between kisses, and small laughs, Olivia said, "Or maybe pink and brown."

"Pink and brown?" Elliot laughed, kissing down her neck. "You getting girly on me?"

"Red and black," Olivia moaned, sinking into the couch. Her hands moved to his back and scratched lightly at the fabric of his crisp blue shirt.

Elliot mumbled against Olivia's skin, "You wanna get married...and have people dressed in black? That's gonna feel like a damned funeral, baby. That's not very optimistic."

Olivia chuckled, then moaned when she realized Elliot's right hand was cupping her left breast, his thumb brushing over her nipple. "Oh, God," she gasped, her nails digging into his back harder.

"We can talk about colors later," Elliot said, looping his free arm under her and lifting. He stood up, with her safely cradled in his arms, and he carried her to their bedroom, where he planed on keeping them up all night, and forgetting all about their problems at work. However, once they got back to the squadroom, tired and cranky, their problems would only get worse.

**A/N: Why? Who shows up? It's trouble for them, and a few of their friends. Hint: She's blonde. More? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212. And please, be honest. ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Why? Who shows up? It's trouble for them, and a few of their friends. Hint: She's blonde.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU belongs to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler© She's not profiting/earning money, just enjoyment. =)**

Elliot stood in his kitchen, staring at the documents in front of him. He was pacing, with the papers in his hand, waiting for Olivia to walk out of the bedroom. He was trying so hard to think of a way to ask, a way to approach this, but every time he thought of it, he'd get scared. He wasn't sure if she'd want to sign the damn things, but he wanted her to. He needed her to.

"El," Olivia said, breaking him out of his panicked trance, "You're gonna walk a groove into the floor. You okay?"

Not trusting his voice, he simply handed her the documents. "Sign them?" he asked, almost desperately.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "You said you didn't want a pre-nup..."

"That's not what that is," Elliot interrupted. He took a deep breath and let it out hard. "Just, baby, please...sign them." He handed her a pen and waited.

Olivia furrowed her brow and looked down at the papers in her hand. She gasped as she realized what they were. "God, El!" she cried in a whisper. "Are you sure you want me to..."

"Yes," Elliot said, cutting her off again. "Liv, you're gonna be their stepmother. This way...you're more than that. I mean, Kathy's gone...they need...they need a mother, baby. You."

Olivia felt tightness in her chest as she read the wording of the adoption papers in her hands, and she let a tear fall as she came to the paragraph that, if she initialed near it, would make her their mother, legally. "You want me to adopt your children," she whispered, looking up at him, another tear falling.

"Almost as much as I want to marry you, and make you mine forever," Elliot whispered, tears in his own eyes. "You're their mother now, Liv. If not biologically, then in every other sense of the word. Sign them, make it real. Permanent," he pleaded.

Olivia looked into his eyes and didn't know what to do. "The kids, El. Won't they..."

"Turn around," Elliot said before she could finish her thought.

Olivia turned, and at the bottom of the stairs, four nervous faces looked back at her. "Liv," Maureen said, taking the role of speaker for the little clan, "We want you to."

Olivia sniffled as she looked at them, then looked at Elliot who nodded at her once. She clicked the pen, raising it to the papers, and looked at the kids one last time, to make sure no one would stop her. She sighed, letting a tear fall onto the document as she signed her name with a brilliant flourish. She dotted the "I" in her name and put the pen on top of the papers on the counter. She looked up at Elliot, who was crying slow, silent tears, then turned to the kids and said, "You're stuck with me now."

The kids ran to her, enveloping her in a great hug, and Elliot wrapped his long, strong arms around his family. An emotional morning, but a happy one, led them into their day as they tried to compose themselves for school and work.

* * *

Olivia could hardly concentrate on her case. She kept thinking about the kids, and Cragen, and how she had a real family now, for the first time in her life. She walked out of the squad room, ignoring Munch's case debriefing, and headed for the elevator. There was someone she needed to see.

Elliot raised an eyebrow at Munch, then followed in Olivia's footsteps. He stuck his hand through the elevator, stopping it from closing and making it open again, and he stepped in. "Where are we going?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.

"I was going to see Tucker," Olivia said, looking back at him. "You were supposed to stay and finish..."

"Nope," Elliot said, shaking his head. "Where you go, I go. That hasn't changed in five years, and it's not gonna change now. Why?"

Olivia sighed. She gritted her teeth, almost unwilling to say what she was about to say, and she spat quickly, "I'm getting my father his job back."

"Okay," Elliot said, simply.

They stepped off the elevator, heading out of the precinct, and they were about to turn left, heading toward One Police Place, when they were stopped by a familiar, yet impossible to be real, voice.

"Olivia! Elliot!" the woman yelled, stopping them.

Olivia closed her eyes, her face twisting into an almost painful expression. "Alex," she mumbled, turning around.

Elliot grabbed her hand, squeezing, as the back-to-blonde former attorney approached them. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Trial's over," Alex said. "The man who tried to kill me is in jail, and I am free to go back to living my life."

"Alex," Olivia said, running her free hand over her face, "You can't just expect things to go back to the way they were."

"Well," Alex said, "Not right away. You haven't been answering my calls. Why?"

Olivia cringed. "I just...I couldn't deal with you at the time," she admitted. "There's a lot going on in my life at the moment that I was trying so hard to manage, and seeing my dead best friend...not being dead...that was where I drew the line."

Alex gave Olivia a sad smile. "I know," she said. "I'm so sorry for everything that I've put you through. That you've been through. Both of you. But I need your help. Trevor won't..."

"Stop," Elliot said, shutting her up. "No way," he said sternly. "He and Casey are very happy, and I'm not gonna help you wreck them because you want him back. You were gone for an unforgivably long time, and he moved on. Do the same."

"I'm not you, Stabler," Alex spat. "I can't just move on from the best relationship I've ever had like it was nothing!"

"Is that what you think this is?" Elliot asked harshly, holding up their intertwined hands. "I am not moving on from Kathy like it was nothing, Alex. It _was _nothing! I've been with Olivia for years, you know that! You were the only one who did!"

Alex sighed and closed her eyes. "You're right," she whispered. "I snapped, I'm sorry, but he won't return my calls, or my e-mails. He even told Henshall to find out if I'm going to be prosecuting in his cases. If I am, he's gonna drop them! Though, I'm not exactly sure I wanna go back to work."

"Sounds like he is sending you a very clear message," Olivia said, looking into the face of a friend she'd already grieved the loss of, long ago. "If you love him, Al, let him go. He's happy with Casey, they're serious."

Alex closed her eyes and swallowed hard. "What about you two?" she asked.

"What about us?" Elliot questioned.

"Do you want me to stay out of your lives, too?" Alex asked, "Because I think I can get over losing Trevor. I won't be able to get over losing you, Olivia. Or you, Stabler."

Elliot tilted his head. "Okay, why do use her first name but my last name?"

"I like her more," Alex said, smirking.

Elliot chuckled, and looked at Olivia, who still looked uneasy. "Well, Alex, I don't know. We need to think about it. I mean, your, uh, 'death' destroyed Liv. I'm thankful I was able to be there for her, and..."

"I'm standing right here, ya know?" Olivia smirked and slapped his arm, playfully.

Alex laughed at their adorable exchange and said, "I'm not expecting miracles. I just...would like to take you two to dinner, sometime next week. To talk. Catch me up on what I missed in the last two years."

Olivia cleared her throat and sighed. "Yeah," she said, nodding. "We should, maybe, do that. After all, uh, I did miss you."

"Aw, Benson," Alex said, relieved. "I missed you, too."

Elliot tugged on Olivia's hand, sensing the rise in emotion she was feeling, and he said, "We have to run, Alex. We have to go talk to...someone at One-P-P. But call. We'll pick up next time."

Alex laughed and nodded, then watched them walk away. She took a deep breath and said to herself, "That was easy."

* * *

Elliot, still holding onto Olivia's hand, pulled her into the main doors at One-P-P, then ran, pulling her still, up the stairs to Internal Affairs. He stopped, only for a moment, at the desk. "Ed Tucker," he said. "He's expecting us." Which was a lie, but the clerk didn't know that, or care.

"Go on in," the small-voiced woman said, buzzing them into the room.

Elliot pulled on Tucker's door, and before the Sergeant could say anything, he said, "We have a problem."

Ed Tucker stared at them for a moment before saying, "Yes we do. You're in my office without an appointment, or a reason."

"Look," Olivia cut in before Elliot could speak. "Donald Cragen is the only man that has been able to run our unit in years and you know it. He knew, he knew since I volunteered for the squad, that I was his daughter. He didn't treat me any differently..." she stopped, raising her eyes to Elliot.

"See what I'm saying?" Tucker said. "You two got away with murder, quite literally, because he knew who you were, Benson."

"Shit," Olivia said softly, falling into one of the chairs.

Elliot sat beside her. "Tucker," he said, "You really think Cragen pulled all of those strings for us, made us his little pet detectives, because he knew she was his daughter?"

"I don't know for certain, Stabler," Tucker said with a sigh. He ran his hand over his face and leaned back as he said, "But this is the only way I could find out. His...restriction, we'll call it, is only temporary. If you two can prove that you're just as amazing with someone else running the ship, then I'll let him transfer back. If you can't do your jobs the way you've always done them without his cutting through red tape and letting things slide, then we'll have a problem." He looked at Olivia. "I'm not doing this to hurt you," he said. "I promised you I wouldn't do that. I'm just...I have to do my job."

Elliot, for the first time in his career, realized something. "Ed," he said, using his first name, making it personal. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Uh, what?" Tucker mumbled, looking down at something that didn't exist on his desk.

"You know that Liv was his daughter," Elliot said, tilting his head. "That's why you were on our asses, trying to figure out what corners were cut, and making sure we were doing things by the damn book. You weren't trying to jam us up, you were trying to nail Cragen, because you knew!"

Tucker was silent, but he slowly turned his head, looking at Elliot.

"Be honest with me, Ed," Elliot said. "All that shit you've given us over the years, it had nothing to do with you fucking Kathy, or the fact that you knew I was in love with my partner, you did it all to prove Cragen was playing favorites."

Tucker looked at Olivia then, leaning forward in his seat. "I was breaking policies left and right, for the both of you, as it was. The chief was on my ass, I had to...I couldn't prove it, because you two are that damned good."

"Yeah," Olivia said, slightly pissed off. "We are. And we're gonna get even better, so you can start filing Cragen's paperwork, Tucker." She got out of her seat, scoffed as she said, "He'll be back by Friday."

**A/N: What do they have to do to get Cragen back? Do they do it? What is Olivia's first act as the kids legal guardian? Why, marry their father, of course. How that happens is honestly priceless. More of Alex, and Trevor's reaction, too. Coming up in the next chap. Want it? Tell me! Here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: What do they have to do to get Cragen back? Do they do it? What is Olivia's first act as the kids legal guardian? Why, marry their father, of course. If they can get it planned...if they can stay together.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU belongs to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler© She's not profiting/earning money, just enjoyment. =)**

The week had gone by, not quickly, but painfully slowly. The squad, under Munch's command, had been handed a serial rapist, who had taken his sixth victim, a thirteen year old girl. No one left until the girl was safe and the man was in custody. Elliot and Olivia had been drinking more coffee than usual, staying up later, making sure all of their work had been beyond stellar before they took power naps in the cribs. They had no time alone, no time with the kids, and no time at all to do anything but work.

It was taking its toll, not only on them, but on their relationship. It was a lot harder to hide the reasons for their fights and spats now that everyone knew about their coupling. Tonight, it was increasingly difficult to stay professional, as they tore their suspect to shreds while the immense sexual tension, built up from days without really loving each other, reached impossible heights and personal insults were tossed back and forth. Fin and Munch raised their eyebrows as they left for the night, refusing to watch anymore, shaking their heads. Maybe telling the truth wasn't such a great idea after all.

Olivia got out of her seat, yawning, to get her fifth cup of Munch's home-brewed coffee. She reached for a styrofoam cup, and that's when she felt him beside her. He reached for the same one. Their hands touched, they looked at each other.

"Deja vu," Elliot said, a whisper into the dimly lit squadroom.

Olivia sighed stepping closer to him. "Tell me about it," she whispered back, feeling the same exact way she had when the scene played out the first time. "You gonna kiss me?" she asked, her hand, under his, over the cup, turning up to entangle in his fingers.

"Depends," Elliot said, giving a small shrug. "You still think I'm an arrogant, selfish, hot-headed asshole?" he asked. He twisted his hand, gripping hers.

Olivia looked over her shoulder at him. "No," she said.

Elliot pulled her toward him, not needing any more words, as he kissed her the way he had almost five years ago. He held her hand firmly in his as his other arm snaked around her waist, then his hand traveled up her back, winding itself into her hair. Soft moans, admittances of guilt and speechless apologies, were uttered between them, and they understood, mutually, that anything said out of exhaustion or anger was not meant. It never was.

Olivia pulled away slowly, dropping her head to his chest. "I'm..."

"Don't say you're sorry," Elliot said, stopping her. "We were both angry, tired, and I don't know about you, but I've been fucking on edge for the past three days, because I haven't spent any time alone with you."

"Exactly," Olivia said, nodding. "El, we promised we'd always make time for us and..."

"And...tonight we will," Elliot said, interrupting her again. "We had till Friday. It's Friday. Technically, anyway. It's passed midnight. Tucker doesn't have shit to say, Liv. We've gone above and beyond...we should just go home, relax." He kissed her sweetly and whispered, "Let me love you. And tomorrow, if Tucker wants to keep his head attached to his neck, we'll come in and Cragen will be behind his desk." He brushed his fingers over her face, pulling her close for another kiss.

Olivia exhaled, looked over at her desk, saw the pile of completed, perfect paperwork on top, and said, "Okay, Stabler. Take me home."

Elliot kissed her again, then took her hand, tugged her out of the room, shutting off the light behind them.

* * *

Elliot, still slightly out of breath, inhaled sharply and said, "So, we should pick a theme. I mean, really pick one. I have to call the florist in the morning."

"Pink and brown," Olivia said, her hand dancing with Elliot's as they lay, still intertwined, under the covers of their bed.

Elliot moved, making Olivia moan a bit, as he was still nestled inside of her, and her looked at her. One arm under his head, he said, "What kind of pink? Are we talking hot pink, bubble gum pink, cotton candy pink?"

"No," Olivia said, sounding offended. "A very soft, light, rosy pink. And a pretty, soft, milk chocolaty brown."

"That actually sounds really nice," Elliot said, smiling. "Roses, then. Pink and white roses, with light brown ribbon." He kissed Olivia's forehead and said, "We've got the place, the song, the colors, the flowers, all we need now is the dresses and tuxes." He moved again, pulling on Olivia's hand and sliding on top of her. "You will be wearing white, of course," he said, kissing her.

Olivia chuckled against his lips. "White dresses are traditionally worn to signify the bride's purity, El. I should be getting married in charcoal black."

"That could be kind of cool," Elliot joked, kissing her again. "But you'd clash with the rosy pink and chocolaty brown."

Olivia laughed. "White, El," she said. "I'm wearing white, and no you can't see the dress, it's gonna stay at Casey's."

Elliot groaned as he kissed his way down her neck to the tender spot just above her collar-bone. "I'll see it soon enough," he whispered, "And I'm sure you'll looks just as good out of it as you will in it." He moved his hips, making the both of them moan softly, and said, "Forgive me, I'm making up for lost time."

Olivia laughed and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you," she said, rolling her hips into his, meeting his slow thrusts.

"Oh, baby, I love you, too," Elliot said to her. He ran one hand down her body, looping it around the back of her knee, and lifted, getting deeper, moving slower. He dropped his head to hers, nuzzled her for a moment, then kissed her, long and slow, deeply. They moved together, savoring each moment, since so many days had passed without much more than a kiss.

Olivia held him close, kissing him, moving with him, hoping this moment would last forever, but knowing it wouldn't. She knew a phone would ring, or the alarm would go off, and they'd be dragged back into a world that required them to put this part of their lives on the backburner. She moaned into the kiss as Elliot moved a little faster, a little harder, kissing her with more fervor. She moaned a little louder as Elliot groaned her name into their passionate kiss, and she felt his whole body tense.

Elliot gritted his teeth and grunted as he felt Olivia clamping around him. "Let go," he whispered through his clenched jaw. "Come on, baby," he prodded. He wanted her to cum, but more so he needed her to, so he could. He couldn't hold on any longer. "Liv," he whispered, hitting into her, moving slower again, trying to hold off his release, "Liv, baby."

"El," Olivia moaned, her head falling back into the pillow. Her back arched and her hands clutched at whatever bits of Elliot they were nearest. She popped her head up, knowing she had to, to look him in the eyes as she started to feel her orgasm approach. "Oh, God," she moaned, clinging to him.

"Damn, Liv," Elliot grunted, thrusting three more slow times before finally spilling inside of her. He kept moving until it was too hard, and too painful, slowing to a stop. He dropped his head to hers, kissed her, and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you," Olivia whispered, looking into his eyes as he rolled off of her and pulled her close. He wrapped her up in his arms, she rested her head on his chest, and they closed their eyes, falling into the most restful sleep they'd had in days.

* * *

The next morning, they awoke happy, smiling and laughing as they dressed, teasing each other playfully. They made breakfast together, ate with the kids, and they left for school, each calling Olivia "mom" as they left.

"Hey," Elliot said, grabbing his keys, "You signed the papers. You're their mother. They can call you that. Stop making that face."

"I know," Olivia said, following Elliot out. "I didn't say they couldn't. This worried face has nothing to do with your...our kids."

"Our kids," Elliot repeated with a smile. "I like the sound of that." He got into the car, waited for her to do the same, then started it as he said, "So what's up with the face then?"

"It's Friday," Olivia said, sighing.

Elliot cleared his throat. "Yeah," he said. "It is." They drove in silence, then parked at the station. Elliot opened Olivia's door, then led her to the coffee cart in front of the building. He bought two large cups of coffee, handing one to Olivia, then turned, walking inside. They were tense and nervous as they rode the elevator up to their unit, and Olivia felt her heart pounding as they walked into the bullpen.

"No one's here," Olivia noted.

"It's only seven," Elliot said. "Fin doesn't usually show up until seven-thirty. Munch...or someone...is probably in the office." He gave her a look and a shrug.

They both walked over to the captain's door, and Elliot knocked. He heard a very muffled "Come in," and turned the knob. He and Olivia walked into the office, saw who was sitting behind the desk, and they both took a deep breath, letting out a heavy sigh. And then they smiled.

**A/N: So is it Cragen? Is it Munch? Someone else? And more wedding plans and some unexpected news! Alex and Trevor react to their engagement. Some time spent with the kids coming up, too. Next. Want it? Lemme know here, or on Twitter. TMG212 **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So is it Cragen? Is it Munch? Someone else? And more wedding plans and some unexpected news! Alex and Trevor react to their engagement, and some time is spent with the kids.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU belongs to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler© She's not profiting/earning money, just enjoyment. =)**

"You two are late," Cragen said from behind his desk, looking down.

Olivia smirked. "Sorry," she said. "Kid trouble," she added.

"What are my grandkids doing now?" Cragen asked, popping his head up.

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Yeah, don't jump the gun, Cap. Maybe that's a little premature. We're just glad to have you back."

"I'll say," Olivia said with a sigh. "Munch was..."

"I know," Cragen interrupted. "I heard. You two have a complaining witness and a vic down at Mercy," he said, holding out a pink paper.

Olivia reached for it, taking it, and said, "Thanks, Cap."

"Actually," Cragen said with a clearing of his throat, "I should be thanking you. I know what you had to do to get me back, and I know how hard it was for you."

Elliot shook his head. "Doing our jobs and separating our lives..."

"Is impossible," Cragen interrupted. "I know it, and I know you've struggled to do that for the last five years. It's...unfair of me to ask you to do that now that, well, you shouldn't have to."

Olivia tilted her head. "What are you getting at, Cap?"

"You're my daughter," Cragen said. "And I can't ask you to deny Elliot any more than you already have. It's my job, as a captain and a father, to make you happy. He makes you happy. Be happy."

Olivia took a step and hesitantly hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered.

Cragen closed his eyes and sighed, holding her for a moment. He let her go and said, "Just, uh, don't get too happy at work, huh?"

Olivia and Elliot chuckled, then walked out of the office, heading to the hospital.

* * *

"That was too easy," Olivia said, stifling a yawn as they got back into their car.

"You think she was lying, don't you?" Elliot asked, starting the sedan.

Olivia hummed and nodded. "She was too calm, too willing to talk about it," she said. "And her sister did nothing but yes me to death."

"Think we got a case of morning-after regret gone bad?" Elliot questioned, driving back to the station.

"Yeah," Olivia said firmly with a scoff. "I found my dress, by the way."

"Ca I see it?" Elliot asked, excited.

"Not a chance in hell, Stabler," Olivia said, smirking.

"Thought not," Elliot said, turning down the street. "Almost done, then, right?"

Olivia nodded, stifling yet another yawn, and said, "One thing left to do."

"Tell everyone that doesn't already know," Elliot said, knowing what she was thinking. He parked in his spot, walked around to the side of the car, and let Olivia out. He leaned in, kissed her quickly, and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Olivia said, smiling at him. She brushed her hand over his cheek lightly, then walked into the station. They were about to tell Fin and Munch their findings, when they noticed Alex in the room. "Wow," Olivia said, sitting in her seat. "Glad we missed the fireworks you caused walking in here."

Alex nodded. "It was interesting," she said. "Listen, I'm sorry about the other day, just bombarding you like that. Really, I'm sorry. I know this is all a lot to handle, and you're lives haven't been...what is on your finger?"

"A ring," Olivia said, holding up her hand. "A gorgeous ring."

"Wait, you...you're engaged," Alex said, waving a finger from her to Elliot. "Did this just happen?"

"No," Elliot said. "I asked her to marry me a year ago and she said yes." He ran his hand down his face. "We're putting some final things together on a wedding we've been planning for months, and..."

"And no one knew," Alex said. "I know why no one knew, but people are gonna think it's awfully fast if..."

"They know," Olivia said. "The kids and Cragen, Fin and Munch, Casey...they know."

Alex rolled her eyes at Casey's name. "That means Trevor knows," she said.

Olivia looked at Elliot, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Yeah. He knows."

"Speak of the devil," Elliot said, standing straighter, as Trevor walked into the squadroom.

"Elliot," Trevor said, looking down at some papers in his hand. "I only have a few minutes, I need your opinion on..." he gasped as he looked up, seeing Alex. "Good Lord."

Alex smiled slightly. "Hello, Trevor," she said.

"What are you doing here?" Trevor asked, irritated.

"My job," Alex replied. "As soon as Benson and Stabler give me..."

"They gave you your job back," Trevor said with narrow eyes. He took a deep breath and looked at Elliot. "I came here to ask your advice. When you asked Olivia to marry you...how did you do it? Congrats, by the way. We all knew this would happen," he said with a chuckle.

Elliot looked at him for a moment. "Trev, why do you want to...oh," he said, straightening up again. "Oh, wow, uh, well, I took her to this really nice restaurant in Jersey, ya know, no one we knew would be there. And then I just, uh, told her how I felt, what I wanted, what I planned to do, and I asked her."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "He's leaving out the part where he had someone engrave a badge with the words 'Will you marry me, Olivia.' He handed me that first, and it took me a good five minutes to understand why he gave me a badge when i already had one."

"Wow, you went through a lot of trouble," Trevor said, chuckling.

Elliot, smiling at the memory, said, "Yeah, I did. She deserved the perfect proposal, since, then, I couldn't be everything she..."

"El," Olivia said, stopping him, giving him a dissatisfied look. "You were. You are."

Elliot smiled at her, then looked back at Trevor. "Well, uh, that was it, so...I didn't really help you, did I?"

"Yeah," Trevor said. "Olivia, I'm sure she's gonna call you and..."

"Wait," Alex said, getting off of Fin's desk. "You're proposing?" she asked, hurt. "To Casey?"

Trevor nodded. "I am," he said. "I heard that these two were heading down the aisle, and I figured if Olivia Benson's resolved herself to getting married, then there's no way Casey would turn me down. They made me realize that...she's the one," he explained. "Why wait?"

Alex's breath caught in her throat. "Trevor, I thought that we could..."

"Look, Alex," Trevor sighed. "You were dead, okay? I thought you were dead. I went to your funeral, I lost my mind, I grieved, and I moved on." He looked at her and said, "I'm glad I did, and I'm not saying this to hurt you, I'm just being honest, but Casey and I have something so much stronger and better than you and I ever did." He sighed again. "I don't want to lose that."

Alex nodded, then looked at him. "Congratulations," she said, trying not to cry.

Trevor nodded his thanks, looking down at his watch. "Shit," he spat. "I gotta go, Uh, Elliot! You and the family. Dinner Sunday? Our place?"

"Yeah," Elliot said shouting after him.

Olivia looked at Alex. "Alex, I'm sorry you had to..."

"It's fine," Alex said. "Do we have a rape case here or not?"

Elliot cleared his throat. "We probably don't," he said. "We need to go talk to the guy the vic accused. We, uh, we'll call you."

Olivia sighed and said, "Alex, I really am sorry. We had so much going on here, with us, that we didn't even think about how hard coming back was for you, too."

Alex nodded as she left, leaving Olivia and Elliot to their investigation, and the thoughts running through their minds.

* * *

"You sure you're okay, Mom?" Dickie asked, handing Olivia a glass of water.

Olivia nodded. "I just have a splitting headache," she said, taking the pain relievers out of her son's other hand. "That case today..." she made a face and handed Dickie the glass. "It was hard."

Elliot, walking in from the kitchen, said, "Kiddo, go help your sisters set the table." Dickie nodded and walked out into the dining room to help the three girls. Elliot sat on the couch beside Olivia. He looked at her once, seeing her eyes closed, and he pulled her body into his and wormed his hands up her body. They wound themselves into her hair, then started massaging her scalp. His thumbs traced slow, hard circles on her temples and he whispered, "Relax."

Olivia moaned as her head rolled further back into his chest. "I am relaxed," she said.

Elliot chuckled. "Okay, baby," he said. He kept rubbing her temples, leaning further back and taking her with him. Soon, they were lying on the couch, her on top of him, snuggling, as he rubbed her headache away.

Maureen walked in to ask a question, but saw her parents, almost asleep, and smiled as she backed out of the room. "Hey, guys," she whispered to her siblings, "I think we should eat without them."

"Why?" Kathleen asked, looking into the living room. "Oh, wow. That's...I don't think he ever did that with Mom."

"He didn't," Maureen said. "They were never that close or that comfortable."

Kathleen took a deep breath. "Mo, do you think Mom...knew you weren't Dad's?"

Maureen cleared her throat. "You mean do I think Mom deliberately lied to trap Daddy?" she asked. "Yeah, I do. That's why...I'm not that upset about this whole thing with Olivia. I'm not upset at all."

Lizzie took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. "Is it wrong of me to hate her?"

"Why on Earth do you hate Olivia?" Dickie asked. "She's ten times the woman Mom ever was. She's our..."

"Not Mom," Lizzie said. "Olivia is Mom now. Kathy. I hate her for what she did to Dad, for what she did to Maureen. What she almost did to us again, I mean if that man would have killed..."

"Can we not go there?" Kathleen asked, sitting down. She fixed two plates and set them aside, then grabbed some food for herself. "We all kind of hate...Kathy, Lizzie. But we will never know why she did what she did, or why she stayed if she didn't love Dad. We just have to remember that, for the most part, she was an okay mother."

"But Olivia's a real mom," Lizzie whispered. "She always has been, right?"

Dickie nodded as he sat next to his twin sister. "Yeah, she has. She did things for and with us that mom couldn't."

"Or wouldn't," Maureen said bitterly. "After what Dad's told us, I can't help but wonder if she was working when she said she was or with one of her boyfriends. Still, part of me misses her."

"We're always gonna miss her, she's our mother," Kathleen said.

Lizzie shook her head. "I don't miss her," she said. "I don't. And I'm glad Mom's here now, for good."

Dickie hummed in agreement, scooping potatoes onto his plate. "I'm happy they're not hiding anything anymore, and I'm happy they're happy. That we're happy."

"What are you guys doing?" Elliot asked, walking into the dining room. "You mean all of that?"

"Yeah," Maureen said, handing him his plate. "Just being honest, Dad."

Elliot smiled as he sat down. "Well, uh, could you be honest a little quieter? Your mother's asleep, she's got a pounding headache, and she and I both had a shi...bad day." He chuckled at the fact he was censoring himself around his children, something he never bothered doing with Kathy, since she was usually cursing at him, too.

"Our mother," Kathleen said with a small smile and a shrug. "Yeah, I like it."

Elliot chuckled, shoving his fork into his potatoes. "So, which one of you wants to tell me what your mother's dress looks like?"

Maureen, Kathleen, and Lizzie just stared, speechless at him, all raising one eyebrow.

"Okay, you all look like Olivia right now," Elliot said, dropping his fork.

Dickie laughed. "They take after their mother, Dad," he said.

The table chuckled, and in the living room, on the couch, a relaxed, comfortable smile crept over Olivia's face.

**A/N: Did Casey say yes? Will work with Cragen be easy? And the wedding Elliot promised Olivia a year ago finally gets completely planned. But will they make it down the aisle? Or will a bit of honesty shatter everything? More? Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Did Casey say yes? Will work with Cragen be easy? And the wedding Elliot promised Olivia a year ago finally gets completely planned. But will they make it down the aisle? Or will a bit of honesty shatter everything?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

"We have a problem with our vic," Olivia said, walking back into the squadroom. Elliot was right behind her.

"Other than the fact that she's dead?" Munch asked, turning around at the sound of her voice.

Olivia shot him a look, half-smirking half-scowling, and said, "Yeah. She's a 'he'."

Fin's eyes widened. "Say what?" he asked, confused.

Elliot exhaled and folded his arms. "Melinda cut her open to check her internal injuries to find a cause of death, and, uh...well, there weren't any...um..."

"She was post op," Olivia said, saving Elliot. "There were no ovaries and no uterus, but there was a prostate and..."

"Save the 'and' please?" Munch requested, holding up a hand. "So this case just got a whole lot weirder."

Olivia nodded as she sat on the edge of her desk. "Yep," she said curtly.

Cragen, at that moment, stepped out of his office and said, "Speaking of weird," he said. "I just got your evaluations back from Tusker. Did you do him some kind of huge favor?"

"No," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

Cragen scratched his head. "Usually, he would jam you both up somehow. Get you on a technicality or something. He actually, uh, is suggesting you get raises and more vacation time," he said with a smirk. "You really pulled out all the stops when I was gone, huh?"

"Something like that," Elliot said. Cragen didn't need to know of Tucker's guilt-ridden promise.

Cragen shook his head and sighed. "Whatever you two are doing, just keep doing it." He folded his arms and looked at the whiteboard. "So now that we know she wasn't really a 'she,' we have to work a new angle."

"Criminology changes," Olivia said. "The whole MO and the entire...shit," she said, suddenly standing up. "We have to go back to the hotel room."

"Why?" Elliot asked.

Olivia looked at him. "The first witness we interviewed," she said. "Wasn't he a..."

"Plastic surgeon," Elliot said, grabbing his keys. He looked at her and said, "First witness..."

"First suspect," Olivia finished. She followed him out, falling into their usual, relaxed, synchronized step.

Cragen watched and shook his head. He was paying a price by keeping them together, but it was worth it to watch magic like that happen.

* * *

They walked out of the interrogation room, still in perfect sync, and both nearly collapsed into their chairs at their desks.

"Rough go of it in there?" a voice asked.

Elliot popped his head up. "Alex," he mumbled. "What are you doing here? This one is Casey's..."

"I know," Alex said, cutting him off. "I just want to stay in the loop. You don't happen to know if she..."

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding. "She did."

At that moment, Trevor and Casey stepped out of the pit, followed by a man in cuffs, and froze when they saw Alex. "Not this again," Trevor mumbled.

"You two are working on the same case?" Alex asked, confused. "You would never defend someone I had to prosecute. You said it wouldn't be..."

"Because I wasn't as secure in our relationship as I am with Casey," Trevor said, stopping her. "I actually enjoy watching Casey work and get a real thrill out of fighting with her. She can separate work from our personal feelings. You couldn't."

Alex took a breathe and said, "I, uh, hear congratulations are in order."

Trevor nodded, holding up Casey's hand. Alex recognized the ring immediately and she felt instantly sick. "They are," Trevor said, ignoring the fact that he saw Alex react poorly. "She said yes."

"Okay," Cragen said, rolling his eyes. "Not that I don't love having a bullpen full of people, but some of my guys have actual work to do. If you wanna take this episode of Melrose Place somewhere else, be my guest, but get the hell out of my squadroom with the personal shit."

Trevor narrowed his eyes at the captain, then straightened up. "Detective Benson," he said, turning to Olivia, "You should find some more solid evidence. I plan to file a motion to get the confession thrown out."

"What?" Olivia spat. "Why? That was a clean interro..."

"Your partner intimidated him, and you were a little overenthusiastic with the threats. Even I would have confessed to murder." He chuckled and said, "Just doing my job, guys." He looked at Casey and said, "I'm sure you'll file a motion to disregard my motion."

Casey scoffed. "Oh, I am gonna be a motion filing machine," she said with an eye-roll. She and Trevor smirked at each other, then nodded at Olivia and Elliot as they left.

"That's my...he gave her..." Alex couldn't breathe. She ran from the room, struggling to find air.

Olivia looked at Elliot, then ran out after her.

"Sometimes, it's better not knowing the truth," Munch said. There were murmurs of agreement, then he looked at Elliot. "You don't think he'll be able to get the confession thrown out, do you?"

"Please," Elliot said, rolling his eyes. "Judge Petrovsky won't buy it." He caught Cragen's eye for a moment at that, then said, "Besides, everything we did in there was completely by the book."

Cragen shook his head, cleared his throat, and said, "Stabler, why don't you go find your partner and go home, huh?" He turned a bit and said, "You, too, Munch. Fin, get out of here. We're done. Benson and Stabler are on-call," he shouted over his shoulder as he headed into his office.

Elliot squinted slightly. He called Olivia his partner, was using their last names, remaining a staunch professional. He shot a questioning look to the now closed office door, then headed out to find Olivia so he could take her home.

* * *

"Another night of cold pizza," Olivia said, grabbing a slice out of the box on the stove.

Elliot chuckled. "We had a late night," he said. He grabbed his own slice, then rested his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the living room. They were quiet, not wanting to wake the kids who had been in bed for hours already. "What was wrong with Alex?" he asked, taking a bite. He chewed, sitting on their couch and easing her down beside him.

Olivia shook her head. "The ring Trevor gave Casey was the one that he pointed to when he took her shopping. He told her that was the ring he was gonna use when he proposed."

Elliot shrugged. "He used it when he proposed. He kept his word." He took another bit of his pizza, then said, "I called the bakery."

"What did you order?" Olivia asked, also chewing, raising an eyebrow at him.

Elliot chuckled. "Two hundred cupcakes," he said. "Chocolate-peanut-butter, vanilla-strawberry, and red velvet. They're gonna be arranged on this cool, humungous, spiraling cake plate. We're getting a giant cupcake right in the middle to cut. It's gonna be amazing."

Olivia smiled brightly at him. "So that was it," she said, leaning closer to him. "We are officially done planning this thing."

Elliot nodded. "Now we have to pay for it," he chuckled. He gave her a sweet pizza flavored kiss and asked, "Do you know where I put the passbook for that account?"

Olivia shrugged. "You were trying to hide the fact that you were saving for a wedding with me from your wife, El. If you were a secret bank book with both of our names on it, where would you be?"

Elliot laughed. "Underwear drawer," he said, remembering. "Somewhere I was pretty sure she'd never look."

"You think we have enough?" Olivia asked, taking another bite of her pizza.

"Well, I bought a Porsche, so..." He broke off, making a face, letting her know he was kidding. "We probably have a good chunk of it covered, baby." He put his paper plate down on the coffee table and leaned back, wrapping his arm around Olivia and pulling her close to him. He kissed her forehead, then looked at her.

"It's really happening," Olivia whispered, her hands raking down his chest.

Elliot nodded. He leaned in slower than he had before and made sure she was looking him in the eyes before kissing her deeply. Her hands cupped his face, as his ran through her hair, and they moaned together, softly. "I love you," he whispered, finally pulling back.

"I love you, too, baby," Olivia whispered with a smile.

"A month from Saturday," Elliot said. "Then everything we've been waiting for, everything we've wanted for so long, is really gonna..."

"I know," Olivia interrupted as she moved in to kiss him again. Elliot wrapped his arms around her, holding her body close to his, and his hands began to travel up the back of her shirt, speeding up both of their heart rates as he pawed at her.

"God," Elliot mumbled against her lips, trying to get her shirt off. "Five years, and it still feels like we've never done this before." He pulled away from her mouth, kissing down her neck. "So new, exciting," he panted between kisses. "But familiar, and so perfect," he said, finally knocking the shirt off of her shoulders. "I can't get enough of you," he mumbled.

Olivia's head dropped back and she moaned as Elliot pulled her onto his lap. She smirked as her head picked up and she looked him in the eyes, biting her lip seductively, trying to unbutton and unzip his black pants. Elliot looked into her eyes and chuckled, lifting his hips slightly to help her shove his pants down, just far enough to free him. Olivia closed her eyes and moaned quietly as she wrapped her hand around him and stroked.

"Jesus," Elliot gasped, dropping his head back. He ran his hands up and down Olivia's back and chest as she worked him up. His eyes squeezed shit even tighter as she took a firmer grip. He moaned a little louder.

"Look at me," Olivia demanded.

Elliot, smirking and chuckling, lifted his head and looked at Olivia. The look in her eyes was hungry, passionate, sexy, and so loving. He dropped his hands to her pants and worked them open and down, then shoved her silk panties aside, moving her closer to him. He ran two fingers up her slick folds, then brushed her hand away from him. He held her gaze as he maneuvered her onto him, rocking into her, and kissing her before she could make any noise.

They were clutching to each other, looking deeply into each other's eyes, kissing constantly, making love on their couch. They remained oblivious to the man, across town, who was uncovering something that could potentially shatter their new, perfect world. That is, if he didn't keep it to himself.

**A/N: Who is it? What is it? Are we ready for the final bit of honesty and a wedding? Or will there be a wedding after it all? Reviews are always welcome. Here or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Who is it? What is it? Are we ready for the final bit of honesty and a wedding? Or will there be a wedding after it all?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

"I don't know," Olivia said, biting her lip. She kept stealing glances at the white garment bag hanging on Casey's closet door. "I really don't know," she said, shaking her head.

"Well, what did the message say?" Casey asked, handing Olivia a cup of coffee.

Olivia sipped and sighed. "He just told me to call him back," she said. "He said it was important. He knew something that I had to know. That Elliot had asked him to find out...but I don't trust him. I never have."

"Are you gonna call him?" Casey asked.

Olivia bit her lip again, stole another glance at the dress, then said, "Maybe." She ran a hand through her hair and said, "What if it's something that..."

"Please," Casey interrupted, "Do not tell me you think he has something on you that's gonna drive Elliot away."

"No," Olivia said, standing. "I think he's got something on Elliot that he's gonna use to get me away from him."

Casey's eyes widened. "You think he's gonna blackmail you into leaving Elliot?" she asked, stunned. "He's a bastard but he's not that psychotic, is he?"

Olivia scoffed. "He once told me he would have Elliot audited if I ever answered a call from him while we were together. So yes, he is."

Casey reached over to her end table, then said, "Call him from here. Do it, Olivia. If he says anything like that in the presence of an attorney we can arrest his ass."

Olivia chuckled, then took the phone. She dialed and waited. He answered, and she said, "Okay, Dean. What do you want?"

* * *

"That was the fastest come-back ever," Elliot said, exhaling as he left the courtroom. "They only deliberated for, what, five minutes?"

"The judge didn't throw out your confession," Casey said, being more snippy with Elliot than necessary.

Elliot tilted his head. "Are you mad at me, Novak?" he asked. "You showed up late, you didn't bring Liv with you, and you look pissed off."

"Oh, I'm pissed," Casey said, turning around. "You have balls, Stabler. Keeping something like that from Olivia? Shit, and she had to find out from Porter, of all people!"

"Do what?" Elliot asked, stunned. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, following Casey through the crowded lobby.

Casey scoffed. "Jesus, Stabler," she spat. "Why would that FBI agent be calling?" she asked, folding her arms. "And why would it really hurt Olivia? Enough to make her go home instead of coming here?"

Elliot closed his eyes in sad realization. "Shit," he said. "I was just...I needed to know, Casey. I needed to know, for certain, that he was her father."

"By getting help from Dean Porter?" Casey yelled. "You told her you would never lie to her, or keep things from her, and..."

"I'm not! I was planning on telling her tonight after I found out, so I would be able to tell her everything. He's not!" Elliot yelled. "Christ, forgive me for not wanting to tell her that without valid proof! He's not her father, Casey!"

"What?" Casey asked, stunned.

Elliot bit his lip and shrugged. "Cragen isn't her father. He lied so she would have some closure! So she wouldn't live her life thinking she was the product of a rape!" He ran a hand through his hair and yelled again. "I mean, she deserved to know the truth about her mother, and he thought he was doing her a favor by giving her a real father, too! He didn't think...but, God, I knew there was something wrong with the whole thing. He's always said that he only knew Serena in passing, because he was a TA when she was a student. And she looks nothing like him, at all! They don't even have the same nose!"

Casey took a breath. "So you aren't..."

"No!" Elliot said. "I'm not trying to run a medical background check on her, Casey! In fact, I asked Porter for his help so I wouldn't have do it myself! I should have known I couldn't trust him."

"You need to tell Olivia," Casey said.

"I told Cragen he had to do that," Elliot said, waving his hand.

Casey shook her head. "You have to tell Olivia why you were running her medical records through a government program. She thinks you were looking for a reason to call off the wedding. Like hereditary diseases or..."

"Shit," Elliot said, turning away and running for the door with his cell phone in his hand.

* * *

Elliot pulled up to the house and he saw Cragen sitting on the steps, looking lost. He got out of the car and ran up the stairs, then looked down.

"Thank God you're home," Cragen said, exhaling harshly.

Elliot nodded. "You told her," he assumed.

Cragen nodded, looked up at Elliot, and said, "She's okay. She said she...she actually feels better knowing that her whole life wasn't a complete sham, and she thanked me. She said you called her, told her why I did it."

Elliot nodded. "I had to," he said. "I told her I would never lie to her, and that's a promise I intend to keep."

"I respect that," Cragen said. "See, it's integrity like that that's gonna make you one hell of a captain."

"Yeah, I know, I...what?" Elliot asked, confused.

Cragen rose from his seat and said, "Once you two get married, no matter how much the chief and I love you, you can't be partners. It's just...there's no way to..."

"I know that," Elliot said. "Different precincts. That's why I was gonna..."

"But," Cragen interrupted, "I did manage to pull a few strings, and work out a deal with the old guy." He slapped Elliot on the shoulder and said, "You are like my son. She's always been like a daughter to me, and for a while she really was. When the time comes, I'll tell you two what you're gonna do. For now, just go inside and spend time with her. Spend some time with your family, Elliot."

Elliot, still confused, nodded. "Thanks, Cap," he said, watching Cragen leave. He turned and turned his doorknob, walked in, and was bombarded with children. Four pairs of arms wrapped around him in excitement. "Okay, what did I do?" he asked, looking down at Maureen and Kathleen, then over at Lizzie and Dickie, then finally at Olivia, who was sitting on the couch and didn't look mad at all. His frantic phone call on his way home had been apology and explanation enough. She did, however, look pale and as if she'd been crying.

"We're just glad you're okay," Kathleen said, squeezing her father.

Maureen nodded. "We saw the news, and we thought...we were so worried."

"What are you talking about, guys?" Elliot asked. He walked over to the couch, pulled Olivia into his arms, and said, "What happened, baby?"

Olivia looked at him, said nothing, and cupped his face. A tear fell and she kissed him, passionately and deeply, not caring that the kids were right there.

Elliot felt her tears running down, as they wear falling on his own cheeks, and he pushed her back gently. "Baby," he said, "Not that I don't love when you kiss me like that, but will you please tell me what happened?"

Olivia sniffled. "After you hung up," she said, choking back a sob, "Dickie turned on the TV and...and there was this news flash...and they said..."

"Someone blew up the courthouse," Dickie said, not wanted Olivia to struggle anymore.

"What?" Elliot gasped. He turned his head toward the TV screen and he shook his head as he watched the live coverage. Squad cars, ambulances, smoke and flames, all surrounding the building he had been in no more than fifteen minutes ago.

"I didn't know if you had left yet," Olivia cried. "I was so scared," she told him. "That's why Cragen was still outside. He wanted to make sure you...came home," she explained, then fell into a harsh sob on his shoulder.

"Trevor, Casey," Elliot said, a whisper, as he held Olivia tight, still in shock.

"Mom called them," Kathleen said. "They're both okay. They were in their offices."

Elliot looked up at his kids. "Uh, well, where was the..."

"The lobby," Lizzie said, knowing what her father was trying to ask. She teared up as she said, "At the front desk. That's why we were all so scared. You said, when you called, that you were leaving and...the door was right there and..."

Elliot pulled Lizzie down to him, wrapping an arm around her. "I'm fine, honey," he told his daughter and Olivia at the same time. "I'm fine. I was already halfway home when I called you guys."

Kathleen, sniffling, said, "We didn't know that." She ran over to the couch and joined the hug, as did Maureen and Dickie.

They shared a relieved cry, and relished in just being together for a moment before Maureen said, "I think you should stay away from the courthouse, Daddy. Bad things happen when you go there alone."

The family laughed, a much needed laugh, then Elliot said, "Go change out of your uniforms, guys. Put on something comfortable, we'll order Chinese, watch a movie, just...be here. Together."

The kids pulled away from their parents one by one, kissing them both and then they headed up the stairs. Olivia wiped her eyes, looking up at him. "You...you don't know what went through my head. It was like that day all over again, only the kids and Cragen wouldn't let me leave. I wanted to run down there, I had to..."

"Shh," Elliot said, kissing her once. "Baby, I wasn't even there when it happened. I'm okay. And you're okay, right? You're okay with everything?"

Olivia nodded. "I knew when Porter told me, I knew you never meant to hide it. And Cragen was already here when you called. I knew exactly what you were up to, and I know why you did it, and I love you for it."

Elliot let out a relieved breath and said, "Casey said that you were pissed and thinking..."

"Pissed off at Porter," Olivia said. "Not you. I told her I had to go home, that I couldn't handle watching a rapist's trial right now. She blew it all way out of proportion because she's pregnant and..."

"Hold on," Elliot said. "She's what? Does Trevor know?" he asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Not yet," she said. "They're not like us, El. Casey still has a lot of secrets, and she doesn't trust him enough to stay when she tells him. She thinks he's gonna freak out."

"He is," Elliot said. "But in the best possible way. He wants kids," he told her, kissing her. "Just like I do," he whispered, kissing her again.

Olivia sniffled her last cry away and chuckled. "I know you do," she whispered. "I want them, too. Baby, we've been trying and..."

"And it'll happen," Elliot whispered, brushing his lips over hers. "Your body is still adjusting to being off the pill, honey. You've been on it since college."

"High school," Olivia scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said. "But you're the most fertile man on the planet. I mean, you slept with Kathy once and..."

"Maureen's not mine, remember?" Elliot interrupted. "It took a long time to get the other kids, baby. We just need to let it happen, and relax, and when it does, we're both gonna be even happier than we are now."

"That's not possible," Olivia said, wrapping her hands around his neck. "But we could always test that theory," she told him softly. She kissed him, holding him close, and whispered, "And Maureen is yours, El. In every way that matters."

"She's yours, too, baby," Elliot said, holding her tighter. As the kids came filing down the stairs, he kissed Olivia again, deciding that once they were in bed, he and Olivia would work on putting his theory to the test.

**A/N: A baby? A wedding? What happened to Alex? Was she in the courthouse? Who blew it up? A next (and final?) chapter? Let me know if you want it! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: A baby? A wedding? What happened to Alex? Was she in the courthouse? Who blew it up? Is the end? Is all of the truth finally out?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.**

The month that had passed since the courthouse disaster had been rough. Casey still hadn't told Trevor about the baby; Alex was trying desperately to be a part of everyone's lives, but failing as they didn't know who she was anymore. Olivia had lost the only father she'd ever known, and tried like hell to keep the pain from taking over. She wanted to be happy on her wedding day, not sad about things she couldn't control. It wasn't enough he was giving her away; she wanted him to be real, like he was for a few short months, when she denied him.

The crime scene unit and the bomb squad had searched endlessly for clues, but came up empty-handed, having no solid leads as to who planted the bomb in the courthouse. Yet today, they put the work on hold and came together in a large, gothic church in midtown.

Cops, lawyers, the technical crew, and of course family and friends all gathered in pews, anxious to witness Olivia Benson finally make a solid commitment to someone. They sat with shaky knees and excited smiles as they prepared to watch Elliot Stabler marry the woman many believed he should have been with a long time ago. The woman he had been with, little did most of them know, for almost as long as he'd known her.

The group gathered to bear witness to a moment of truth, years in the making, when the two souls, minds, bodies, and hearts of "Benson and Stabler" would be unified in front of God and every important person in the city. The day that the secret they'd kept for so long would be a distant memory, their relationship becoming open, honest, and very public.

Don Cragen, standing behind the oak doors, looked to his left. She looked beautiful, and he felt honored and proud beyond belief to be the one giving her away. He took in the sight of her in her white, lace and crystal gown, blinking back tears. He was reminded of the day she walked into the squadroom, and he knew exactly who she was, and he promised that he would love and protect her for as long as he possibly could. Today, he would be passing that responsibility and privilege off to Elliot. He smiled as he remembered how insane their fights were at the beginning of their partnership, and how he went home every night thinking they would eventually have to "fuck it out" if they wanted to stay partners. He realized, looking at her glowing skin as she trembled nervously beside him, that he had misunderstood their refusal to fall in love as aggressive sexual tension. He gave her arm a light squeeze as he clutched it in his own, and their eyes met briefly.

"Are you ready for this?" Casey asked, holding up the train to Olivia's dress as the first chord to the Wedding March echoed through the hall.

"No," Olivia said, shaking her head. "But I'm not backing out now," she said with classic benson determination. She clung to Cragen's elbow and gripped her bouquet so tightly her knuckles were turning white. The doors before her swung open and she took a sharp, almost painful breath, as she realized that the moment she had thought of as nothing more than a whimsical fantasy between lovers was finally happening.

Elliot, at the end of the aisle, stopped breathing as he saw her take her first step toward him. He looked at her, in her gown, and he felt the sting of tears hit the back of his eyes. His nose burned. Flashes of her in his arms, bleeding and convulsing, played in his mind. He felt the rush of fear and panic as the thought of losing her, watching her dying in his arms, came flooding back to him. Images of her lying unconscious in a hospital bed swirled before him. She had almost given her life for him; they almost didn't make it here. He blinked and suddenly, he was back in the moment, watching her step slowly toward him, knowing that she was here, and he was, too, and there was nowhere else he'd rather be.

"Who give this woman to this man?" the priest asked, gesturing to Olivia and then to Elliot.

"I do," Cragen said, his voice cracking. He placed Olivia's hand in Elliot's, kissed her on the cheek, and stepped off to the side, taking a place next to Fin in the line of groomsmen.

Olivia, shaking slightly, passed her bouquet to Casey, who stood beside all of Elliot's daughters and Melinda in matching light pink gowns with milk-chocolate colored sashes.

Casey eyed Trevor from her spot, her hand absently running over her slightly-swollen belly. She tuned out the priest's babbling and waited for Trevor to look at her. He finally turned his head, catching her eyes and smiling. "Hi," she mouthed with a small smile.

Trevor waved, and then pointed at Olivia and Elliot, telling Casey that they should probably be paying attention to two of their best friends taking vows.

Casey nodded, but kept her eyes on Trevor as he turned toeard the aisle. When he looked back at her, her eyes widened and she pointed to her belly.

Trevor furrowed his brow at her, pursing his lips. He had no idea what she was doing.

Casey, nervous, cradled Olivia's roses and rocked them back and forth as she mouthed. "Baby," and pointed to her stomach again.

"What?" Trevor yelled, his eyes wide, forgetting for a moment that he was in a church, at a wedding.

Olivia, Elliot, the priest, and all one-hundred guests turned their heads to the groomsmen, staring at Trevor.

Trevor cleared his throat. "What…a lovely thing to say. Elliot, that was beautiful. Excuse me," he said, stepping down and walking toward Casey. He took Olivia's flowers out of her hands and chucked them into Maureen's.

"Hey!" the teen cried, trying to un-smush the petals.

Trevor took Casey's hands and said, "You're having a baby."

Casey sniffled and nodded.

"We're having a baby," Trevor said, as if trying to convince himself.

Casey nodded again, "yes, I am. But can we talk about this later? People are trying to get married, here."

"We're having a baby!" Trevor yelled, picking Casey up and swinging her around.

Olivia and Elliot laughed at the display, considering it a welcome interruption. When things calmed down, Olivia noticed Alex, in the first pew, looking queasy. She gave her friend a soft, sad, smile and a tiny shrug. An apology.

Alex shook her head and looked down, giving a shrug in return. There was nothing she could do about it, really. She had to move on now.

"If there aren't any other imperative announcements," the priest said, smirking, "I would like to return to the main event." He gestured to Olivia and Elliot as the congregation chuckled.

"Yeah," Trevor said, pulling his suit jacket down, smoothing it out. "Sorry about that," he said with a sniffle. He wiped his eyes as he stepped back up, between Elliot's brother and Munch. "Carry on," he said with a wave of his hand.

Elliot scoffed. "Thanks for your permission, Counselor," he quipped as more chuckles were heard from the on-lookers.

Olivia smiled at her about-to-be-husband, and shook her head with a silent chuckle of her own. She took his hand and forgot about everything else as she spoke her words, and made her pledge to Elliot.

A few rows behind Alex, Dean Porter sat, solemnly watching the rings being exchanged, and the words and promises being spoken. He had tried, one last time, to lure Olivia away from her partner. He had failed. He had lost. Recently, though, he'd learned that he was never even playing a fair game. Elliot had his claws dug in deep, had staked his claim on Olivia, long before Dean had even met her. He was a pawn in their plan, designed to fool friends and family and colleagues into believing nothing was going on behind closed squadroom doors.

Still, he wondered why he wasn't enough to change her mind. He wondered how anyone could be worth making yourself miserable. He wondered why anyone would let themselves give up chance after chance for happiness to hold onto something that it was almost certain would never be possible. He watched them kiss, and as he heard the thunder of the applause surround him, he realized that he knew exactly how someone could do all of that. Because he had. For her. He sighed as he brought his hands together, clapping slowly more for show than happiness, and whispered to no one, "Game over."

Hundreds of eyes watched them walk out of the church, hand in hand, bearing witness to a new life beginning for both of them. A life without secrets, without any reason to hide anything from anyone any longer. Those same eyes followed them down to the banquet hall, and watched them dance for the first time as husband and wife, making it perfectly clear that the only thing they could see was each other.

Elliot danced his new bride around the room a dozen times, only letting her go so she could dance with Cragen as he danced with his mother. When they came together again, Elliot whispered to her, "Doesn't feel as silly as you thought it would, does it?"

Olivia chuckled, shaking her head as she remembered the night he pulled her up in front of the entire police department, both embarrassing her and making her feel amazing. "No," she said. "I haven't even noticed we have an audience," she said, gazing adoringly into his eyes.

"We have an audience?" Elliot asked, tilting his head and making a face as he spun her around. He pulled her into his arms and sung sweetly into her ear, "A bottle of red, a bottle of white, it all depends upon your appetite…"

Olivia kissed his cheek, laughing, knowing they'd be dancing like the wind a moment. As the beat kicked in, they sped up, moving as if they'd choreographed the number. She took a chance and glanced around, taking comfort in the fact that other couples were on the floor, including Trevor and Casey who both looked happier than she could ever remember seeing them.

"Dad," Maureen said, tapping him on the shoulder.

Olivia and Elliot stopped dancing and looked at their daughter. "Yeah," Elliot said.

"Uh, this came for you, but it's from…well…just open it." She handed him a box and bit her bottom lip.

Elliot looked at Olivia. Eying her, he opened the lid. He lifted a small card out of the box and read, "Elliot and Olivia. This is for your linebacker, or tailback, or quarterback. Whichever comes first." He furrowed his brow and moved tissue paper, finding a folded slip of paper. He uncurled it and let out a choking gasp. "Holy shit," he spat, handing it to Olivia.

Olivia furrowed her brow, confused as she took it from him. She looked at it, then said a soft, "We can't take this."

"He's not giving us a choice," Elliot said, handing her the card. "He feels guilty."

Olivia glanced up at Elliot and said, "He should. But is paying us off really…"

"He's making up for the grandchild he missed out on," Elliot said. "Maybe this is his way of doing what he feels he should have done with Maureen."

"Maybe," Olivia said, looking back down at the check. She saw Martin Stanfield's name staring up at her, and she sighed. "We could definitely use it," she said.

"That is the understatement of a lifetime," Elliot chuckled. He looked over at Maureen, who was still beside them, and asked, "Is he here?"

"No," Maureen said. "It was just dropped off by a messenger with a letter for me. That's how I knew who it was from."

Elliot squinted. "Letter? What letter?" he asked.

Maureen's lower lip started to quiver and she handed him a folded piece of yellow paper. "He said he was sorry, and that he thinks I'm lucky to have such a wonderful father. He said you must have raised me right for me to be so strong-willed," she chuckled as she swatted at a stray tear. "He said goodbye."

Elliot read the letter, shocked that the man who was close to fighting for custody of Maureen had, in writing, declare him "her father." He blinked away tears and read, out loud to his new wife, "Maureen, I wish I could have understood what the true meaning of fatherhood meant sooner, so I wouldn't have put you and your family through so much trouble. I wish I knew then what I know now, that fatherhood is deeper than biology, that genetics don't matter, but the love and the compassion and the life you share with your child makes you a father. Elliot is yours. Never let anyone tell you otherwise."

Olivia felt the words hit her, hard and fast, and she turned around, scanning the crowd. She found the man, for whom she was looking, turned and kissed Elliot quickly, and said, "I'll be right back." She picked up her dress, traveling across the floor, coming to a stop next to Cragen.

Cragen turned, smiled, and asked, "How is the woman of the hour doing?"

Olivia let go of her gown and threw her arms around him. "I'm absolutely perfect, Dad," she said, looking Heavenward and keeping the tears from falling.

Cragen was stunned. His arms moved, embracing her, and his eyes closed in relief as he let out a comfortable sigh. "What's this for?" he asked.

Olivia pulled away, shaking her head, and said, "Everything. For being a father when you didn't have to be, for being my father when I didn't want you to be, and for being the closest thing to family I've got, besides El and the kids."

Cragen rubbed his left eye, an attempt to keep from crying. "I could thank you for that, too, ya know. You are my family, Olivia. You and Elliot, and the kids, which is why…I'm leaving."

Olivia screwed up her face. "What?" she asked.

Cragen nodded, and then raised a glass across the floor to the chief of detectives. "Chief and I came to an agreement. You two can stay in the same department, as long as you're not partners. I knew Elliot would never go for it, knowing he couldn't look out for you the way he needs to, so…he'll be your new captain. You'll work with Fin. Munch will get a new partner. Elliot makes the final decisions, he's gonna tell you where you go and when you go, and if he doesn't want you to do something he won't make you do it. He gets the control we both know he needs, and I know he trusts Fin. If he needs or wants to, he can even go with the two of you. It makes sense, Olivia."

Olivia was in shock, finding it hard to breathe, finding it hard to think. "But you…Cap, we worked our asses off to get you back and…"

"And now I'm repaying you," Cragen interrupted. "Your happiness means more to me than any job, or anything else in this world. Besides, I'm an old man, Benson. It's about time I retire and move to a suburb with my wife." He chuckled as he took a sip of his soda.

"Does Elliot know?" Olivia asked, looking over at her husband, and smiling when her eyes landed on him dancing Lizzie around the room.

Cragen smiled at the sight, too. "No," he said. "Paperwork is still pending, so I didn't think I needed to bring it up until you got back from your honeymoon. London's beautiful this time of year."

Olivia nodded at her captain, hugging him again. "So, seeing as how you're not gonna be my boss anymore, you can watch the kids when we have to work late."

"Really?" Cragen asked, smiling.

Olivia smiled and nodded. "They need someone with them, ya know. It's a pretty rough city. And who better to watch them than their grandfather the cop?" she asked, nudging him with a smirk.

Cragen laughed and said, "Nothing would make me happier." He looked at her and sighed, calming his chuckles. "You look so beautiful."

Elliot, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her, said, "Hey, don't be hitting on my wife, old man." He chuckled and winked, telling his soon-to-be-former-captain that he was just kidding.

"I wasn't," Cragen said, raising his hands defensively. "I was just being honest,"

**A/N: Any questions left unanswered? And lies left uncovered? No? Then this, honestly, is the end. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


End file.
